Liberia has won the fourth edition of the highly coveted Regional Intellectual Property High School Club Competition after defeating five other African nations with a project that brought the real-world consequences of limited copyright awareness vividly to the regional stage.
The competition, held in Harare, Zimbabwe, on May 29 and jointly organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), brought together high schools from Liberia, The Gambia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Ghana under the theme, "Intellectual Property and the Creative Industries: A Perfect Tool for Development."
Liberia's entry, The Brushstrokes of Justice, a drama written and performed by students of Maretha International Preparatory High School, was adjudged the best project despite fierce competition from Zambia and The Gambia, which placed first and second runners-up, respectively.
Liberia's overall performance was strengthened by Lomenie Kollie, the country's student representative, who outperformed all other delegations in the quizzing and role-play categories, which required students to respond to practical intellectual property questions and scenarios.
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Liberia's participation in the regional competition followed the organization of a national competition, where Maretha International Preparatory High School emerged as the national winner and earned the right to represent the country at the regional level.
The winning project, The Brushstrokes of Justice, tells the story of Musu, a talented but uninformed artist whose work is used without authorization, and Bendu, a knowledgeable creator who protects her intellectual property and benefits from her work. Through the contrast, the drama shows how limited knowledge of intellectual property can expose creators to exploitation, loss of income, and discouragement, while awareness, registration, and respect for IP can help creators control, protect, and benefit from their work.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Todd Reves, Director of the Building Respect for IP Division at WIPO, noted that the competition was introduced to help young people in ARIPO member states understand that creativity has value, that rights must be respected, and that intellectual property can support development when it is understood and used properly.
Mr. Reves added that WIPO's partnership with ARIPO on the competition reflects a shared institutional commitment to embedding IP literacy in African secondary education, with the view that informed creators are better positioned to contribute to their nations' creative economies and broader development agendas.
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Also speaking, Bemanya Twebaze, Director General of ARIPO, said the competition reflected ARIPO's commitment to building a stronger culture of intellectual property awareness among young people across member states.
According to Mr. Twebaze, the IP Club competition places intellectual property in the hearts and minds of young Africans who will go on to create, innovate, and build, hailing the standard of participation across all six countries as a demonstration of the continent's creative and intellectual potential.
In remarks, Hon. Garmai Koboi, Director General of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office, noted that the victory represents a significant milestone in the Government of Liberia's effort to advance intellectual property education among young people in schools across the country.
The achievement, Hon. Koboi added demonstrates that Liberian students can compete and excel on regional and international platforms when provided the opportunity, mentorship, and institutional support necessary to thrive.
"We intend to build on this result," Hon. Koboi added. "Winning is validating, but the larger purpose is to ensure that every young artist, musician, writer, and innovator in Liberia knows their rights and has the tools to protect their work. Today, Harare has shown us what is possible when we invest in our young people."
The Regional IP Club Competition is an initiative of ARIPO, implemented in collaboration with WIPO, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea through the WIPO Korea Funds-in-Trust (FIT Korea).
