Consultative Meeting For ECOWAS Member States Held In Ghana

The three-day Consultative meeting of ECOWAS Member States for a Coordinated Response to Copyright Issues in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was opened by Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie (MP), Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts, on Tuesday, February 11th, 2025.

With the goal of uniting all African Union (AU) member states with important organizations like the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the Southern Economic Community of Central Africa States (ECCAS), and the Economic Community of West Africa States, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has brought together 54 countries on the continent since January 1, 2021.

This meeting’s goal was to provide a coordinated response to the African Continental Free Trade Area’s (AfCFTA) copyright considerations while taking into account the national laws of ECOWAS member nations.

Ghana acknowledges the enormous potential of the AfCFTA to boost economic growth, encourage innovation, and promote cultural exchange throughout the African continent, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts emphasized in her speech.

She called on the member states of ECOWAS to share responsibility for making sure that national copyright laws reflect the particular needs and circumstances of our region while also being in line with international standards.

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Hon. Dzifa Gomashie expressed hope that the consultation meeting would give member states a useful forum for candid discussion and exchange.

She further enumerated some key issues that attention should be paid to in the formulation of the legal framework or reference point when it comes to Intellectual property (IP).

i) The scope of copyright protection.

ii) Enforcement mechanisms

iii) Collective management organization

iv) Exceptions and limitations

v) Cross-border cooperation

In order to create a future where innovation is rewarded, creativity is celebrated, and the region’s cultural heritage is preserved for future generations, the tourism minister urged Member States to take advantage of this chance to collaborate.