On Saturday October 17, I was honoured to take part in the 8th edition of the African Invention and Technological Innovation Fair organized by the Organisation Africaine sur la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI). Innovation, creativity and intellectual property are linked to socio-economic development.
The African Invention and Technology Innovation Fair plays a key role in stimulating innovation, and I would like to congratulate the organizers and participants for their efforts.
We were very pleased and honoured to present a Special Award to recognize, encourage and support the emergence of new technologies that respond to concrete needs in the community, to Dr. Adama Ndayane Faye, for his “Automatic Blood Sedimentation Rate Meter”. We really hope that this award will help him bring his invention to life and thus propose a new solution to medical analysis laboratories that is adapted to the African context. It is in fact essential to develop local talent in order to imagine new solutions for healthcare systems, and to enable innovators to protect their intellectual property in order to transform their creativity into an economic force.
I was also pleased to announce a brand we initiative promoted by IFPMA and Speak Up Africa which will be launched in December: the “Africa Young Innovator for Health Award “. It is essential to help the new generation of young entrepreneurs, and this initiative aims to stimulate the spirit of entrepreneurship and advance promising healthcare solutions.