Zambia’s Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) has raised concerns over low patent filings by local innovators, saying only 26 of nearly 300 applications submitted between January and August this year came from Zambians.
PACRA Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Benson Mpalo, said only three of the local applications were filed by a higher learning institution, all from Mulungushi University, highlighting a gap between research output and intellectual property protection.
Mpalo was speaking in a speech read by Deputy Registrar for Intellectual Property, Chewe Chilufya, at the National Intellectual Property Week Workshop for Innovators in Lusaka on Tuesday. The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry.
Held under the theme “Empowering Emerging Innovators and Support Institutions – Universities, Research and Development Organisations – through Intellectual Property,” the event brought together universities, research institutions, innovation hubs, technology transfer offices and the private sector.
“An idea that is not protected can be copied. An invention that never leaves the laboratory creates no jobs. A brand that is not registered can be lost overnight. Intellectual property is not paperwork but a business asset,” Mpalo said.
He said valuable research in Zambia often ended in journal publications or remained on shelves as unfinished prototypes, underscoring the need to bridge the gap between laboratories and markets.
To address the challenge, Mpalo said PACRA was deepening partnerships with universities and research institutions through agreements aimed at turning research into prototypes, products and businesses.
“The Agency is also helping to establish Technology Transfer Offices and Technology and Innovation Support Centres (TISCs) to provide innovators with expert intellectual property help on their doorstep,” he said.
Mpalo urged institutions to establish clear intellectual property policies, fair rules on ownership and benefit-sharing, and equip researchers with skills to engage industry and investors. He also called on industry to communicate market needs to academia.
He said Zambian innovations could reach global markets through the World Intellectual Property Organization’s international protection systems, including the Patent Cooperation Treaty for patents, the Madrid System for trademarks and the Hague System for industrial designs.
“As Artificial Intelligence changes how knowledge was created, Zambia cannot be content to consume technologies built elsewhere but must develop, own and commercialise its own technologies,” Mpalo said.
Japanese Ambassador to Zambia, Mikami Akiteru, said universities and research institutions across Africa had generated an increasing number of valuable research results and technologies with potential to address societal challenges and support industrial development.
“However, excellent research outcomes alone are not enough. It is equally important to translate those outcomes into practical applications and ensure that their value benefits society,” Akiteru said.
He said protecting research outcomes and using them through technology transfer and licensing could help universities and research institutions promote innovation and strengthen collaboration with industry.
Akiteru added that benefits generated from such activities could be reinvested in research and development, creating a cycle of innovation.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent Secretary Lillian Bwalya said an effective intellectual property system could help Zambian innovators and businesses turn knowledge, creativity and research into protected assets, competitive products and sustainable sources of income.
“Among the measures being pursued is the continued strengthening of the legal and institutional framework for intellectual property administration through the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA),” she said.
Bwalya said the government was also promoting awareness of intellectual property among innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and the general public.
She said these efforts should be supported by accessible, efficient and transparent services, as well as practical guidance to help enterprises, including micro, small and medium-sized businesses, identify, protect and use their intellectual assets.
The government also supports research, technology development, entrepreneurship and value addition, she said.
“Through partnerships with universities, research institutions, the private sector and cooperating partners, we must strengthen the link between research outcomes and commercial application,” Bwalya said.
She added that research should not end with a publication or prototype where there was potential to develop a product, process or service that meets market needs, saying intellectual property management, technology transfer arrangements and industry collaboration could help bridge the gap.
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