Geographical Indication (GI) options for Ethiopian Coffee and Ghanaian Cocoa

The State of Biofuel Innovation in Mozambique
small-scale production and the use of liquid biofuels for localised energy needs
(perhaps combined, as is the case with the ADPP project, with other uses such as
for the production of soap), in order to ignite more SME interest in the planting
and use of this particular crop. Accessing technology appropriate for processing
of biofuels by small industrial units or local communities could potentially be
achieved by:
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identification and use of simple (non-patented) public-domain technology
already being used in other African countries or rural areas in Brazil and
India;
promotion of locally developed biofuels technology by empowering
local innovators (e.g. the aforementioned National Programme for the
Promotion of Mozambican Innovators); and
provision of easy access to patent information on biofuels technology
in order to foster local adaptations of the technologies to suit localised
Mozambican needs.
Regarding the third of the three deliverables outlined above – access to patent
information – we took note of the WIPO programme (as part of the WIPO development
agenda) to support Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs)
in several developing countries, including Mozambique. TISCs aim to provide
innovators in developing countries with access to locally based, high-quality technology
innovation support, including up-to-date, easily accessible patent information.
A TISC was established in Mozambique in September 2012, and two
TISC focal points are now active (in the Ministry of Science and Technology and
in the IPI). 5 Easy access to the patent information available in the TISC focal
points has the potential to encourage localised use (and follow-on adaptation)
of biofuels technologies of the kind identified by our patent landscaping exercise
(and listed in the Appendix to this chapter). The TISC seems to have come at the
right time for Mozambique, as it potentially constitutes a crucial bridge between
local innovators and the fast-moving innovation systems of the developed world.
Also needed, in our analysis, is strong cooperation – with a clear division of
roles – among Mozambique’s research institutions, innovators, local industrial
concerns and small-scale producers of feedstock – in order to potentially ignite
the rise of localised small-scale processing and use of biofuels in Mozambique.
The policy and legal instruments that emerge from the NPSB and the Inter-
Ministerial Committee on Biofuels must thus provide concrete mechanisms to
5 In December 2011, WIPO reported that TISCs were active in 10 African countries (see WIPO,
2011b).
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