Deputy Minister Gina Calls for Enhanced IP Protection for South Africa’s Grassroots Innovators

Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr Nomalungelo Gina has urged South Africa to intensify efforts to raise intellectual property (IP) awareness and protection among grassroots innovators. She warned that many entrepreneurs in township and rural communities continue to lose ownership of their ideas because of insufficient knowledge about IP rights.

Dr Gina delivered her remarks at the 17th World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) South Africa Summer School on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer, held in Durban. She referenced the landmark case of Nkosana Makate, the inventor of the “Please Call Me” service, describing it as both inspirational and cautionary. The case exemplifies the risks innovators face when they do not secure their intellectual property early in the development process.

Highlighting the ongoing challenges, the Deputy Minister cautioned that numerous young innovators and researchers miss out on significant economic opportunities due to a lack of empowerment to protect their concepts effectively.

She praised programmes such as the WIPO Summer School for helping to bridge this gap by expanding access to IP education. These initiatives equip emerging innovators with the knowledge and tools necessary to benefit from their own work and innovations.

Linking her message to recent events, Dr Gina referred to the Grassroots Innovation Awards held the previous week in Pretoria. She noted that while community-based innovators continue to generate valuable ideas, many still lack the means to protect or commercialise their innovations. The Deputy Minister stressed that the government has a responsibility to ensure that township and rural communities do not lose ownership of their intellectual property due to inadequate access to IP education.

Dr Gina further highlighted the WIPO Summer School as a flagship capacity-building initiative. She noted that South Africa is proud to be among the few global hosts of this programme, which is cultivating a growing pool of IP managers, technology transfer specialists, and innovation leaders across the African continent.

She pointed to investments in IP management, led by the National IP Management Office, which have already resulted in increased disclosures, patents, licences, and spin-off companies emerging from universities and science councils.

The Deputy Minister also underscored the importance of protecting Indigenous Knowledge Systems. She emphasised that traditional herbs, medicines, and heritage assets must be formally recognised and owned by the communities that created them.

Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), the host of this year’s WIPO Summer School, reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening research and innovation capabilities through the event.

Dr Mandla Hlongwane, MUT’s Deputy Director for Technology Transfer and Innovation, stated that hosting the internationally recognised programme positions the university as a key contributor to national and continental knowledge economies.

The 2025 WIPO Summer School commenced on 24 November and is scheduled to conclude on Friday, 5 December, continuing its role in advancing IP education and technology transfer in South Africa and beyond.