By: Sandally Sawo
The Copyrights Office of The Gambia has concluded a series of sensitization campaigns and capacity enhancement programs in the North Bank, Central, and Upper River regions of The Gambia and plans are in the pipeline to replicate similar activities in the West Coast Region, Kanifing Municipality, and Banjul.
In 2019, the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) appointed Mr. Sanna Jawara as the copyrights officer responsible for the enforcement of the Copy Rights Act 2004 and the Copyrights Regulations 2018. Since then, a shift has been observed in the copyright landscape of the country as a result of a series of awareness campaigns and capacity-building programs for stakeholders,stretching across various regions. North Bank Region is the latest beneficiary of these engagements.
Speaking in an interview with The Voice, Mr. Jawarahighlighted that the Copyright Office has registered and continues to register significant progress in creating awareness and capacity development around copyright and related rights in the country.
“Challenges are obvious just like any other public office but with commitment and dedication, such challenges must be resolved for the benefit of all stakeholders and the country,” he stated.
According to Mr. Jawara, the copyright and related rights industries (the creative and cultural industries)have the potential to lift The Gambia out of povertyprovided the necessary investment and attention arededicated to it by the Government and the private sector as in countries now basking in the glories of their creative and cultural industries. The industries, he went on, have the potential to create job opportunities and wealth for the country and beyond.
“The Office, through World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), successfully secured software for royalty collection called WIPO Connect, which has been deployed in the country since May 2023 through GAMTEL and now awaiting the ground to be leveled for its effective and sustainable operations in the country. The software has the potential to injectmillions of dollars into the country’s economy if it becomes effectively operational, hence the need for support by policymakers and stakeholders in the sector,” Jawara said.