THE Business Registration and Licensing Agency (BRELA) is planning to sensitise its stakeholders on the benefits of using Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
Some of the institutions targeted are the higher learning institutions, research and development institutions and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
BRELA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Godfrey Nyaisa said the agency was committed to promote IPR in Tanzania especially on the increase of patents and utility models.
“On this financial year, one of our major plans is to conduct seminars, workshops and sensitization programmes to research and development institutions particularly in universities and to SMEs,” he said during the High Level Meeting for Sensitization Mission on the Arusha Protocol on the Protection of New Varieties of Plants held in Dar s Salaam, recently.
He said aim of the sensitization mission to Tanzania was to create more awareness on the Arusha Protocol on the protection of new varieties of plants and that stakeholders have been engaged to increase the numbers of IPR.
“This can only be done by massive awareness sensitization programmes,” he noted .
The CEO said, since 2018 when the agency started offering all services through online registration system, it has simplified accessibility of Brela services to business community and all users of Brela services.
“Currently, there is ongoing re-designing of online registration system to make it more user friendly and provide more services to our clients,” said Mr Nyaisa.
The Director General of African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO), Bemaya Twebaze said that in order to keep people safe, there is a need to discuss various issues like protecting food, seed and other important products.
In August this year, IPR key stakeholders in Tanzania participated in the National Consultative Meeting on the Arusha Protocol for the protection of new varieties of plants. The meeting came up with some observations which were shared with ARIPO and this in regard to the applicability of Articles 15 and Regulation 22 of the Arusha Protocol Versus Tanzanian law.
“I am well assured that, this Sensitisation Mission on the Arusha Protocol will act as a catalyst to open another chapter for more involvement on protection of IPR for Agriculture sector.
This will help ensure that in the near future Tanzania ratify this important protocol which began in 2015 when our country was selected as a site for hosting the meeting in famous tour region of Arusha,” he said.
