In his welcome, Prof. William A. L. Anangisye, Vice Chancellor of UDSM, expressed his delight in hosting the lecture, noting that it highlighted the University’s continued role as a hub for advancing scholarly debate on Africa’s development. He emphasised the need for African universities to strengthen their intellectual property frameworks in order to harness their research outputs for innovation and social transformation fully.

The Secretary-General of ARUA, Prof. John Gyapong, outlined the purpose of the Distinguished Lecture series, explaining that it serves as a platform for high-level discussion of pressing issues affecting African universities and societies. He noted that intellectual property has become a particularly critical subject, as many African research outputs have historically failed to generate the commercial and societal impact they deserve.

The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Saudin Jacob Mwakaje, an Associate Professor of Law at the School of Law, University of Dar es Salaam and a legal practitioner, who is also a widely recognised scholar on intellectual property and data governance.

Prof. Mwakaje began by tracing the historical evolution of intellectual property rights, explaining how global frameworks have often marginalised Africa’s interests. He challenged African universities to rethink their role in this ecosystem, urging them to move from being passive consumers of global norms to active creators of locally relevant intellectual property strategies.

He stressed the importance of:

• Integrating IP into the research process, including requiring patent searches in proposals to avoid duplication and to encourage novelty.
• Negotiating ownership rights at the funding stage, so that African institutions retain control over innovations arising from their research.
• Developing institutional IP policies that enable commercialisation and protect the interests of researchers, universities, and communities.
• Supporting grassroots innovators, whose ideas often feed into university research but remain unprotected and vulnerable to exploitation.

Prof. Mwakaje concluded by calling for a continental approach to intellectual property, one that balances global engagement with African realities and strengthens Africa’s voice in international negotiations.

The lecture closed with an engaging interactive session that allowed participants to probe deeper into the themes raised in the keynote. Questions centred on strengthening research funding, ensuring equity in North–South partnerships, and securing a stronger role for African universities in shaping global knowledge production. Several participants also raised the issue of how best to empower young scholars to contribute meaningfully to policy and societal impact. Participants broadly agreed that universities must strike a balance between pursuing academic excellence and actively engaging in policy processes to be credible actors in driving Africa’s development.

The lecture, which was well received, was streamed live to a wide audience on Zoom, Facebook and YouTube.

Photo Gallery