WIPO Media Team Begins Filming Stories of Traditional Healers and Innovators in Uganda
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in partnership with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), has commenced filming stories of traditional medicine practitioners as part of an ongoing project funded under the Build Back Better initiative.
Launched in 2024, the project seeks to empower traditional healers across Uganda to use the intellectual property (IP) system, particularly trademarks, collective marks, and certification marks to brand and safeguard their medicinal products.
From November 13th to 20th, traditional healers in Kampala, Gulu, and Masindi are participating in a documentation exercise designed to showcase Uganda’s rich traditional medical knowledge. Last week in Kampala’s Ndeeba and Kyambogo areas, the WIPO Media Team, accompanied by URSB Registration Officer Michael Wabugo, held its first round of interviews with herbalists, healers, and innovators. The team captured stories detailing healing practices, herbal formulations, and the challenges practitioners face in protecting their intellectual creations.During the engagement, practitioners raised concerns about the inability to patent herbal formulas. Mr. Wabugo explained that least developed countries (LDCs), including Uganda, are currently exempt from certain intellectual property obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. These exemptions restrict the patenting of pharmaceutical and herbal products.
“Under the WTO framework, least developed countries have been exempted from patenting pharmaceutical and herbal products,” he said. “As Uganda progresses toward middle-income status, this is expected to change, allowing such products to qualify for patent protection.”
