— The vision outlined by Gamai Koboi, if implemented to the letter, would forever change the way intellectual property rights are protected and recognized in national development.

By Robin Dopoe

Gamai Koboi, the Director General of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office, has disclosed plans for the conduct of an economic study that would quantify the contributions of intellectual property (IP) to the Liberian economy.

The study, according to experts, is needed to address the age-old problem of lack of data on IP’s impact on the country’s GDP and employment generation — a situation that has made integrating IP into national development and sectoral policies quite difficult for decades.

“Without a thorough study outlining the tangible benefits of IP, it becomes challenging to emphasize its importance and advocate for its integration into a broader development plan,” Koboi argued. “Over the last two decades, we have had about three national development plans and countless sectoral policies, yet IP has not been accorded the recognition it deserves to drive economic growth in Liberia and reduce poverty.”

“It is not like IP has not been impacting the country positively, however, the lack of data means it is quite difficult to quantify and understand its impacts on the socio-economic development of Liberia — fueling the continued limited recognition IP has been receiving in national economic discourse and policy frameworks. And it is not that policymakers do not know IP plays a key role in driving sustainable economic development, but their hands are tied as a result of lack of data. So to change the situation, we need data, and this is why the conduct of this study is a major priority for my administration,” Koboi added.

The proposed study as envisioned by Koboi would assess the state of the country’s intellectual property ecosystem and provide empirical data on its direct and indirect economic contribution to job creation and GDP to serve “as the basis for data-driven policy decisions and regulations.”

According to Koboi, who holds a Master’s Degree in IP Management from the African University in Zimbabwe, the study is also key to understanding the true value of “the country’s IP ecosystem” and the “economic cost of piracy.”

“I believe that to have a robust IP ecosystem, it must be driven by empirical evidence to fuel sound regulation and policies to harness the economic potential of IP. “While it is true globally that IP plays a key role in economic development, we do not have the data to show it to fuel the recognition it deserves.”

Although Koboi had not yet disclosed a timeline on when the study would begin, she says she remains committed to having it completed before the end of the year. She noted that talks with the World Intellectual Property (WIPO) for technical support would begin soon and “hopefully,” the request will be granted.

IP rights, which drive the 4th industrial revolution, are legally enforceable rights over inventions or creative works and are key to the competitiveness of businesses in the global economy, serving as the primary method of securing a return on investment in innovation, creativity, and reputation.

For example, just the film and music industry contributed US$197.6 million in 2023 to Nigeria’s GDP, according to Statista. Experts say the availability of data on the impact of IP on the Nigerian economy has led to adequate recognition and investment in the creative industry, which is poised to hit a projected revenue of US$100 billion by the year 2030, according to Ramnin Toloui, the Assistant Secretary for U.S. Economic and Business Affairs.

If similar data, experts say, had been available for Liberia, the creative industry would have seen some record-breaking investment just as its Nigerian counterpart.

“No way can we convince people to make any serious investment in Liberia’s creative industry or its inventive potential in the absence of data,” Koboi noted. “Data is key to attracting investment so my administration will do everything possible to conduct this historical study for Liberia.”

Koboi, whose administration is less than two months old, has also revealed plans to modernize the operating system at LIPO, which she says is “outdated and time-consuming.” 

The current system, according to Koboi, is one of the primary reasons why the number of IP applications being filed in Liberia is considerably low despite the strong legal and economic benefits IP protections provide.

The outdated paper-based system, industry insiders say, makes the application submission process costly and time-consuming. As such, modernization—which is long overdue— “will simplify and expedite the application process, reducing administrative burdens, and enable applicants to track their applications conveniently from anywhere.”

“The modernized system would include an e-service filling system and the automation of routine administrative tasks to improve the agency’s overall efficiency among other benefits.”

Koboi also noted that at the heart of her vision is enforcement, which she describes as the cornerstone that drives the knowledge-based economy around the world—inciting innovation and creativity.  She noted the country’s poor enforcement culture has created a situation where generators of IP rights lack the assurance that their “IP will be enforced in case of theft