Press Release
The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs wishes to inform the general public
that the Minister of Justice & Constitutional Affairs Honorable Samuel Tembenu, SC, signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) and a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Director General of the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Francis Gurry in Geneva, Switzerland on 4th October, 2016. The Minister
was accompanied by the Solicitor General and Secretary for Justice, Dr. Janet Banda, SC, together with Malawi’s
Ambassador to Switzerland, Mr. Robert Salama and the Registrar General, Mr. Chapusa Phiri. The MOU aims at establishing
a framework of cooperation between WIPO and the Government of the Republic of Malawi in intellectual Property (IP) matters
and the SLA clarifies and determines the roles and responsibilities of the parties with respect to establishing Technological
innovation Support Centers (TISCs) in Malawi
After signing, the Minister said; "The MOU and the SLA will greatly improve WIPO’s cooperation activities with the Government
of the Republic of Malawi with clear action plans and concrete deliverables." The Minister stated the importance and relevance
of IP for innovation and creativity and the enabling role that IP can play for the socio-economic, scientific, technological,
and cultural development objectives of developing countries like Malawi.
The SLA which establishes TISCs at Malawi University of Technology (MUST), Chancellor College and Mzuzu University (MZUNI)
in Malawi will enable universities and research institutions access to scientific and technological information therefore
stimulating economic growth by strengthening Malawi’s capacity to effectively exploit this information. The MOU among
others will help the Republic of Malawi attain its developmental goals as stated in the Malawi Growth and Development
Strategy and its vision as spelt out in Vision 2020.
SOLICITOR GENERAL AND
SECRETARY FOR JUSTICE