By UPENDO NGITIRI, Judiciary of Tanzania
In October 2025, a
delegation from the Judiciary of Tanzania, led by Principal Judge of the High
Court of Tanzania and Member of WIPO Advisory Board of Judges, Hon. Dr.
Mustapher Mohamed Siyani, visited the World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO) Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. During the visit, the delegation
participated in the 2025 Annual WIPO Judges Forum. In addition, the Principal
Judge attended the WIPO Advisory Board of Judges meeting, which took place
after the Forum.
As part of this important
visit, the Judiciary of Tanzania and WIPO also held a series of meetings on 16 October 2025. The
discussions focused on progress made under the Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) signed in 2021 and key areas of collaboration for implementation in 2026.
The meetings were
attended by Ms. Altaye, Director of IP Learning and Internal Training Program;
Ms. Ines Ferdinandez, Legal Officer, WIPO Judicial Institute; Victor Owade,
Counsellor, WIPO Academy; Ms. Manuela Rotolo Araujo, Consultant, Distance
Learning Program, Ms. Laura Para Gonzalez, Training Officer, Ms. Carolina Tobar, Associate Programme Officer,
and Ms. Isha Singh, Legal Case Manager – IP Disputes Section, WIPO Arbitration
and Mediation Centres. On the side of
the Judiciary, the meetings were attended by Hon. Eva Nkya, Chief Registrar of
the Judiciary of Tanzania and Upendo Ngitiri, Deputy Registrar and Focal Person
for the Collaboration between the Judiciary of Tanzania and WIPO.
In her remarks, Hon. Eva
Nkya expressed Judiciary of Tanzania appreciations to WIPO for its continued
partnership and invaluable support. She commended the significant achievements
realized through the collaboration, particularly in enhancing judicial capacity.
The Achievement includes development of customized judicial training materials,
participation of more than 1,450 Tanzanian judicial officers in judicial
capacity-building programs such as Judicial Colloquiums, General Distance
Learning Course for Judges, and the WIPO Annual Judges Forum, establishment of
WIPO depository library in the Judiciary of Tanzania Library, publication of
Tanzanian judicial decisions on WIPO Lex and adoption of WIPO’s online
mediation tools.
Productive Meetings were
held with WIPO Judicial Institute, WIPO Academy and WIPO Arbitration and
Mediation Centre. Discussions with the WIPO Judicial Institute included plans
to organize the Judicial Colloquium for Tanzanian Judges and Magistrates. The Colloquium
will provide a platform for dialogue, experience sharing, and engagement
between Tanzanian judicial officers and international IP experts. During the meeting it was also agreed to
finalize the Bench Book on Intellectual Property, which will serve as a key
reference and guide for judges and magistrates.
In tandem, WIPO commended
the publication of Tanzanian IP decisions on the WIPO Lex–Judgments Database,
as it enhances accessibility of national jurisprudence and promotes
transparency. Another key activity deliberated is the WIPO Annual Judges Forum.
The next Annual WIPO Intellectual Property Judges Forum is scheduled to take
place on 13–14 October 2026. The Forum
will continue to serve as an important platform for Tanzanian judges to gain
valuable insights and learn best practices from other jurisdictions.
Discussions with the WIPO
Academy focused on judicial education. The Academy reaffirmed its commitment to
continue providing scholarships for Tanzanian judges and magistrates to pursue
the General Distance Learning Course on Intellectual Property. To date, 505
judges and magistrates have successfully completed the course. Additionally, A special session on the
Arbitration and Mediation Procedure under the WIPO Rules has been organized for
the judiciary, with over 170 participants.
WIPO Academy also
confirmed its support for the ongoing project to customize the General Distance
Learning Course on Intellectual Property for the Tanzanian judiciary by
aligning its content with the country’s legal framework, judicial practices,
and emerging IP challenges.
The Academy further
extended opportunities for Tanzanian judicial officers to apply for the
Master’s Program in Intellectual Property, offered in partnership with 18
universities across 17 countries, including the University of Turin in Italy,
Queensland University of Technology in Australia, Universidad de San Andrés in
Argentina, Ankara University in Türkiye, Maqsut Narikbayev University in
Kazakhstan, IE Foundation in Spain and Jagiellonian University in Poland, among
others. As of now eight Judicial Officers
have benefited from WIPO Academy’s University Partnership programme. The possibility of partnering with an
accredited university in Tanzania under this program was also discussed.
An Executive Training
Program, aimed at providing intensive, in-person training for judicial
officers, was also proposed to be conducted in 2026.
Apart from that, Updates were shared on the
establishment of the Intellectual Property Training Institute (IPTI)
coordinated by the National IP Office.
The initiative supports member states in setting up self-sustaining IP
training institution that address national priorities. Establishment of IPTI
aims at strengthening national IP capacity. Under this programme, five
Tanzanian judicial officers were nominated in 2024 as official trainers, and
discussions were held on providing opportunities for additional judges to join.
Discussions with the WIPO
Arbitration and Mediation Centre highlighted plans to strengthen the use of
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms within the Judiciary of
Tanzania. The WIPO Mediation Center will offer additional opportunities for
Tanzanian judges and qualified judicial officers to apply for accreditation as
WIPO Mediators.
Up to now, eight
Tanzanian judges have received this accreditation. The Center also reaffirmed
its commitment to supporting the judiciary through specialized
capacity-building programmes designed to strengthen mediation and arbitration
skills among judges and magistrates. Furthermore, the judiciary will continue
to benefit from WIPO’s Online Mediation Tools, which support efficient,
accessible, and technology-enabled dispute resolution processes.
The series of meetings concluded with a reaffirmation of the strong partnership and shared commitment to strengthening judicial capacity, with the goal of ensuring the effective delivery of justice, protecting intellectual property rights, fostering national economic growth, and safeguarding public health and societal wellbeing.
The third from right is
Hon. Eva Nkya, Chief Registrar of the Judiciary of Tanzania , the fourth from left is Ms. Altaye, Director of IP
Learning and Internal Training Program; the first from right is Ms. Ines
Ferdinandez, Legal Officer, WIPO Judicial Institute; the second from right is
Mr. Victor Owade, Counsellor, WIPO Academy; the first from right is Ms. Manuela Rotolo Araujo, Consultant, Distance
Learning Program and the second from left is Upendo Ngitiri, Deputy Registrar
and Focal Person for the Collaboration between the Judiciary of Tanzania and
WIPO.
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