Although Rwanda ranks first among low-income economies and ninth in Sub-Saharan Africa, its position on the Global Innovation Index has consistently been significantly low. ALSO READ: Intellectual property: The need for more women innovators to bridge the gender gap Speaking at the celebration of World Intellectual Property (IP) Day held on April, the Director General of Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Antoine Kajangwe, explained that Rwanda falls short on some of the criteria used to measure innovation, including business sophistication, market diversification, human capital, research institutions, as well as outputs like knowledge, technology, and creative outputs. Basically, Rwanda excels in creating a conducive environment for innovation, but there's still very much to do in areas such as intellectual property. ALSO READ: Awareness on Intellectual Property could empower women This year’s World Intellectual Property (IP) Day is observed under the theme, “Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity.” According to Rwanda Development Board deputy CEO, Nelly Mukazayire, the theme couldn't be more timely, as Rwanda seeks to increase the number of women involved in technological advances, artistic developments, and successful businesses by raising their awareness of the importance of IP. ALSO READ: Celebrating the ‘can do’ attitude of women inventors, creators and entrepreneurs Mukazayire emphasized the significance of this need, noting that women and girls make up just 15 per cent of all innovation teams registered with RDB. Although numbers show that men own more businesses than women in Rwanda, there remains a considerable disparity in IP registration among genders. The reason is that women who are into creativity and innovation spaces are mostly uninformed of IP rights protection and how to secure them. The first step is to raise awareness and encourage more women to use intellectual property systems to protect and add value to their work, which in turn improves their finances and contributes to the country's economic growth, said Emma Carine Uwantege, Program Specialist at UN Women. Intellectual property, in general, provides its owners with a competitive advantage in their economic activities by preventing unauthorized exploitation by third parties, whether individual or institutional. The event aimed to acknowledge the determination of women innovators, creators, and business owners and put forth recommendations to create diverse approaches for inclusive involvement in the IP system, aligned with the government's efforts to establish a legal framework and global innovation standards.
