Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Alpha Sesay Esq. has urged universities, researchers, entrepreneurs and emerging innovators to protect their intellectual property and turn their ideas into economic opportunities.
He made the call while delivering the keynote address at National Intellectual Property Week, held from 13 to 14 October 2026 at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown.
The event, organised by the Office of the Administrator and Registrar-General (OARG) in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Japan Patent Office, was held under the theme: “Empowering Universities, Research and Development Institutions and Emerging Innovators Through Intellectual Property.”
Sesay said Sierra Leone’s challenge was not a lack of talent but inadequate systems to identify, protect, develop and commercialise innovation.
“The answer, I would submit, is not a lack of talent. It is a lack of system,” he stated.
He called for stronger legal and institutional frameworks, improved digital services and greater intellectual property awareness in educational institutions to ensure that research, inventions and creative works contribute to national development.
The Attorney-General also urged universities, particularly Fourah Bay College and other research institutions, to establish intellectual property policies and create mechanisms to commercialise research outputs.
Addressing startups, creatives, agricultural innovators and technology developers, he emphasised the importance of protecting their creations against copying and unauthorised exploitation.
“Your idea is an asset. Protect it,” he said, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to digitising intellectual property services, strengthening the capacity of OARG and deepening collaboration with international partners.
Earlier, Administrator and Registrar-General Martina Baindu Egbenda called on universities and research institutions to identify, protect and commercialise their intellectual assets. She also encouraged stronger collaboration between academia and industry.
WIPO representative Yves Ngoubeyou stressed that intellectual property should be treated as a strategic economic asset rather than merely a legal or technical subject. He noted that protecting and commercialising ideas could help create jobs, attract investment and promote economic growth.
National Intellectual Property Week is expected to strengthen Sierra Leone’s innovation ecosystem by encouraging the protection and commercialisation of research, inventions and creative works.
