Does the growth of ICT in Zimbabwe present an opportunity for effective use of intellectual property rights?

Abstract

In 2005 the Government of Zimbabwe adopted a National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy to spur growth in the ICT sector. The idea was to transform Zimbabwe into a knowledge - based economy by 2020. This saw some synergies between stakeholders in improving ICT infrastructure. In the last decade Zimbabwe has seen growth in ICT albeit with numerous challenges. There have been innovation s in ICT which raise possible intellectual property issues. The thesis seeks to assess whether there is scope for the utilisation of intellectual property rights in some of the innovations. An exploration of the various policies that have a bearing on ICT will inform the discussion on ICT growth. The thesis will also lay out the intellectual property framework and identify rights which can be appropriated to innovations. It will identify some areas where tailoring is required to suit the system to the development needs of the country and the innovation environment. Some recommendations will be made derived from the experiences of other countries and from the survey conducted as part of the research.