Stakeholders discuss Copyright system in Gambia

Stakeholders in the art industry have completed a five-day mentorship programme at the National Center for Arts and Culture (NCAC), where they discussed crucial targets to help in strengthening Copyright system in The Gambia.

The mentorship engagement was organized by NCAC and supported by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).

Hassoum Ceesay, NCAC director of Copyright appealed to stakeholders to actively participate in establishing a Copyright regime in the country that would allow creators to earn money from what they produce.

The programme, he said, seeks to strengthen the Copyright regime in the country to make sure that Gambian artistes start to earn money from their creation.

Rohey Samba, Secretary General of Writers Association of The Gambia, said artistes are the poorest because of the lack of Copyright law in the country. She maintained that the mentorship programme which was provided to the CSG Board would go a long way in supporting the Collecting Society of The Gambia (CSG).

Rosario Kamanga, a senior licensing officer of Copyright Society of Malawi said underscored the role of creative industry in the development of any nation. “The creative industry can generate another income for the economy and we need the support of the state when it comes to that. Most of the associations are dormant because there is no financial support.”