Ouagadougou:The Permanent Secretariat of the National Intellectual Property Center (SP-CNPI) organized a workshop in Ouagadougou to discuss the integration of intellectual property into educational programs across Burkina Faso. The initiative aims to foster creativity and innovation by introducing intellectual property concepts into general, technical, vocational, and university education.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the meeting took place in the videoconference room of the PSUT building at Joseph-Ki-Zerbo University and was attended by educators, researchers, and other stakeholders from the education sector. Kohio Lodouba, representing the CNPI, emphasized the importance of educating students about intellectual property to create a culture that protects creative works.

Lodouba highlighted the role of the SP-CNPI in promoting intellectual property and supporting creators in protecting their work through the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI). He also discussed the challenges posed by artificial intelligence to copyright laws, noting that current legislation only recognizes natural persons as authors.

Nicodème Niyonkuru, a lecturer in private law, praised the initiative for highlighting a discipline often overlooked in education. He urged for more emphasis on encouraging invention and teaching creators to safeguard their innovations.

Dr. Rockia Zerbo, an environmental science researcher, stressed the importance of intellectual property in enhancing the value of research. She called for researchers to gain better control over protection procedures to ensure their innovations reach the private sector and the public.

The workshop is part of the SP-CNPI's activity program, endorsed by OAPI, and aims to produce recommendations for developing training curricula tailored to various education levels in Burkina Faso.