Invention in Africa: Open AIR shares its Model at CAAS 2019
By Uchenna Felicia Ugwu Africa is becoming recognized as an important hub of informal innovation, which should not be excluded or ignored by formal systems for IP…
40th WIPO IGC: Mixed Impressions as Experts Seek a New Mandate
By Chidi Oguamanam, cross-posted from ABS Canada. Pre-session Strategy Meetings Experts and delegates gathered in Geneva for the 40th session of the WIPO IGC,…
Financing of innovations in Egypt: Barriers and Potential
By Eslam Shaaban Innovators, especially in the start-up stage, are facing the problem of financing their projects. In Egypt, there is great potential to develop…
OMMIC: A Personal Perspective
By Uche Ajuonuma Last fall, I attended the Ontario Makers and Mentors Innovation Conference (OMMIC) at uOttawa. The event was held at the new STEM (Science, Technology,…
IP, Gender, and South Africa: a Student's Visit to Open AIR's Cape Town hub
By Akkila Thirukesan This blog is part one of a series into Akkila’s during her visit to Open AIR’s South Africa hub – the IP Unit at the University of Cape…
Focusing on Indigenous Data Sovereignty as Part of ‘Shifting Horizons’
By Toni Valenti On Thursday, March 28th, Open AIR attended the Indigenous Data Sovereignty panel at the Shifting Horizons research data conference at the University…
Reconciling Copyright with Creativity: New Insights from 2018 Conferences (Part II)
By Helen Chuma-Okoro and Nicole Tumaine This is part two of Helen Chuma-Okoro and Nicole Tumaine’s’ blog post on the isnights retained from 2018 confereces,…
Reconciling Copyright with Creativity: New Insights from 2018 Conferences (Part I)
By Helen Chuma-Okoro and Nicole Tumaine Access to knowledge (A2K) is necessary to further innovation and creativity. Due to the exclusive nature of intellectual…
Empowering Rural Craft Women through Social Entrepreneurship and Open, Inclusive Innovation
By Desmond Osaretin Oriakhogba My Engagement with the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa As part of my on-going project as a Queen Elizabeth…
Depicting Reality in the African Context
By Menna Badreldin It is challenging to quantify a phenomenon in the same method across countries. Indices are generally a tool to represent a certain issue and…
The Open African Innovation Research Partnership Transition Workshop
By Dana Elbashbishy On the 8th of February 2018, members of the Open African Innovation Research Partnership (Open AIR) gathered in Accra, Ghana to share research…
WIPO IGC 39: Unraveling the Tiered Approach to TK/TCEs
By Chidi Oguamanam One of the major innovations of the IGC, in its long-running search for international legal instruments for the effective protection of TK/TCEs…
Researching Maker Communities and Socio-economic Inclusion
By Chris Armstrong As part of our Maker Movement research theme, we at Open AIR are trying to build understanding of how participation in maker communities can impact…
Challenging Power Structures in the Context of Global Change
By Esther Ekong As part of its Solutions for Gender Equality speaker series, The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), hosted a special panel in collaboration…
Open AIR at TFi4SD Africa
By Erika Kraemer-Mbula The 2018 Annual Economic Summit, was organised by the Global Economic Institute in partnership with the Government of the Canary Islands.…
La transition vers des villes et des territoires durables le role des collectivities territoriales Africaines
Par Abdelhamid Benhmade En réponse à l’invitation de Cités et Gouvernements Locaux Unis d’Afrique (CGLU Afrique), j’ai eu la possibilité d’assister à…
The Role of Women and Girls in Unlocking Africa's Digital Future
By Rosemond Yaa Kpeiku The Second Africa Summit on Women and Girls in Technology was a three day event in collaboration between the World Wide Web Foundation, Alliance…
Workshop on Integrating Gender Perspectives into Research Projects: Focusing on Social Justice, Inclusivity, and Openness
By Desmond Oriakhogba Recently, Open AIR participated in a workshop which focused on the integration of gender perspectives into research projects aimed at promoting…
À la découverte de la « Darky » : une imprimante 3D fabriquée au Sénégal
Par Thomas Hervé Mboa Nkoudou La difficulté d’accès à l’équipement est souvent pointée comme l’un des principaux problèmes dont souffrent les makerspaces…
Fablabs et le développement durable de l’Afrique
Par Thomas Hervé Mboa Nkoudou Je suis Thomas Hervé Mboa Nkoudou, doctorant en Communication Publique à l’Université Laval (Québec, Canada). Je m’intéresse…
Highlighting Inclusion of Marginalized Voices at International Conferences: A NERG’s experience
By Nicole Tumaine Over the past four months, I have had the privilege of attending three international conferences as a panelist thanks to the generous support of…
OPEN AIR AND QES FELLOW EXPLORED THE IP, TK AND GENDER DIMENSIONS OF THE BENIN BRONZE CASTING ART AT THE 2018 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LEGAL PLURALISM
By Desmond Oriakhogba Gender issues are increasingly being discussed with regard to intellectual property (IP) and traditional knowledge (TK), especially from…
Better metrics, better policies for knowledge and innovation in Africa
By Nagla Rizk The Access to Knowledge for Development Center (A2K4D) leads the research on metrics, laws and policies within the Open African Innovation Research…
IP Implications for Food Security in Africa
Cross-posted from U of S Plant Phenotyping and Imaging Research Centre By Uchenna Ugwu Can you tell me a bit about yourself? I am a PhD student at the University…