The 2019 World Intellectual Property Day has been marked with a call on Ghanaian sports personalities and institution to seek enlightenment on intellectual property and embrace it as an essential part of their profession.

At an event jointly organized by the Registrar-General’s Department and the Copyright Office on the theme “Reach for Gold: IP and Sports”, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Gloria Akufo said that the government appreciates the importance of intellectual property as a key element in the development of all sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

In a speech read on her behalf by deputy Attorney-General Godfred Dame, she praised Azumah Nelson, Stephen Appiah and Isaac Dogboe for using their talents creatively to market themselves and carve sellable brands from their talents.

She underscored the need for sports personalities and institutions to be innovative and creative with their talents.

“The government recognizes the importance of intellectual property for the development of every sector of our society and as result continues to enhance the infrastructure and systems to protect intellectual property right at the national level. This is apparent from the many activities being implemented to ensure that users of the system receive efficient service.

“It’s only in the last two decades that knowledge of the connection between IP and sports has become pronounced. From the only boxing professor, Azumah Nelson through the affable Stephen Appiah to more recently Isaac Dogboe, the power of branding in sports has been registered.

For her contribution to the development of women’s football, Black Queens coach Mercy Tagoe Quarcoo was honoured with the 2019 IP Icon Award.

Mercy Tagoe was commended for her exploits in football that has seen her become a player, administrator, referee and coach.



Speaking to the media after the event, a ‘humbled’ Mercy Tagoe stated that the award will serve as motivation for her ahead of the 2019 WAFU tournament.

“I believe that this is going to serve a motivating factor for me and propel me to a high esteem because when you do something and you excel and you are rewarded for it, it’s a very big thing for an individual. This is telling me something and it is going boost my morale to achieve something at the WAFU tournament” she said.

The world IP day is celebrated annually to throw more light on the impact of IP rights such as patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and copyright on daily life, and their role in encouraging innovation and creativity.

The Day is also used to celebrate creativity and the contributions made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the globe.