Nairobi, Kenya 27^th June 2023.

In line with our mandate to co-ordinate and collaborate with other organizations involved in combating counterfeiting, today we hosted a delagation from copyright and related rights Collective Management Organisations (CMOS’s).

The visitors were led by the Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Association of Music Producers Mr. Maurice Akoth and included representatives from Music Copyright Society of Kenya and Performer Rights Society of Kenya. Discussions were based on possible areas of collaboration to ensure protection and growth of the creative industry in Kenya.

 “The creative industry needs support from the government agencies mandated to protect Copyrights and related rights given it has untapped potential that can create millions of jobs in the country” said Mr.  Akoth.

Welcoming the delegation, the ACA Executive Director Dr. Robi Mbugua assured the member organization of government support to ensure that the creative industry remains profitable to the owners and that the right owners benefit from their creativity. “We are looking forward to signing an MOU that will have a framework for joint activities in enforcement, public awareness, research and messaging on IP protection” added Dr. Robi Mbugua.

The meeting came amidst renewed government efforts to support the creative sector that has great potential to create employment towards economic growth of the country. Kenya’s creative sector currently contributes 5.3% to the national GDP, according to a report by the Creative Economy Business Environment Reform. This is a significant contribution to the economy, given the challenges plaguing this industry like theft of intellectual property rights.

The collaboration will also address the insufficient understanding and appreciation of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in the sector. Lack of information and understanding of copyright laws hinders creative entrepreneurs from exploiting their rights and how to defend themselves from piracy.