CopyGhana’s Executive Director, Joseph Baffour Gyamfi, was in Kampala, Uganda, from 19 to 21 October 2026 for the Symposium on Copyright and Related Rights Management, where he formed part of the delegation of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO).
The symposium was organised by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in collaboration with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB). Held under the theme “Empowering Creativity: Harnessing IP for Sustainable Development in Africa”, it gathered copyright authorities, collective management organisations and other stakeholders from across the continent to consider where copyright and collective management in Africa are heading.
Sharing Ghana’s experience of collective management
Mr Gyamfi took part in a knowledge clinic on private copy remuneration and models of collective administration, where he drew on CopyGhana’s experience of collective management in Ghana and offered an African perspective on how these systems work in practice.
Artificial intelligence on the agenda
The IFRRO delegation also included Ruth Simujayangombe, Chair of the IFRRO Africa Committee and Chief Executive Officer of ZARRSO. She joined a panel on artificial intelligence, copyright and the creative sector, presenting the text and image sector’s view on the use of protected works to train AI systems, fair remuneration for authors and publishers, and the role of collective licensing.
Looking ahead
CopyGhana is a member of IFRRO, and the symposium was an opportunity to bring the experience of African reproduction rights organisations into discussions that will shape copyright on the continent. IFRRO has said it expects to join ARIPO in Lusaka, Zambia, in December, when the organisation marks its 50th anniversary.
Source: IFRRO on LinkedIn.
