By Sariba Manneh
The Copyright Office at the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) recently held a day-long awareness training and capacity building on matters affecting copyright in the North Bank Region.
Held at the new conference hall of the Governor’s Office, the training is part of the legal mandate of the Copyright Office as per Sections 56 and 57 of the 2004 Copyright Act and Section 6 of the 2018 Copyright Regulations. The program drew participants from various copyright and related rights industries such as fashion, ‘kanyelling’ groups, performing artists, media, and security outfits such as police, immigration, SIS and the Gambia Tourism Board among others.
Section 57 of the Copyright Act outlined the functions of the Copyright Office shall; (a) be responsible for all matters affecting Copyright and Related Rights in The Gambia, (b) Monitor and Supervise The Gambia’s position about International Treaties, Conventions, and Protocols and advise Government accordingly (c ), Enlighten and inform the public on all matter relating to Copyright and Related Rights (d), maintain an effective data bank on authors and other owners of Copyright and Related Rights and their works (e ) Undertake such other tasks relating to Copyright and Related Rights as the Secretary of State/ Minister may assign to it.
The programme was characterised by intensive interactive presentations and discussions on matters affecting the effective and sustainable development of copyright and related rights in The Gambia, and what needs to be done to have an effective and sustainable system to that effect for the benefit of stakeholders and the country as a whole.
Dembo Samateh, the Deputy Governor thanked the copyright team for engaging the people of the region on the subject. He added that it has the potential to lift the country out of poverty once it is effectively and sustainably utilised.
He called on the participants to make the best use of the training and share experiences with those who were not fortunate enough to participate in the session. He urged the NCAC to replicate similar exercises in other regions of the country because of the importance of the subject matter for national discussion and effective action.
Sanna Jawara, Head of the Copyright Office at the NCAC, outlined the objectives of the training, the functions of the Copyright Office and the need for stakeholders to engage the office for effective operations and sustainability activities to that effect.
