african, caribbean and pacific group of states -...

African,CaribbeanandPacificGroupofStates

“PromotionofQualityStandardsandCertificationforHandicraftsfromGhanaandSierraLeone”

“ACP-EUTBTPROGRAMME”

(REG/FED/022-667)Projectcode:067-15

MARKETNEEDSANALYSES

August11,2016

TableofContents

1. INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3

2. OBJECTIVEOFTHEMARKETNEEDSANALYSES.....................................................................................4

3. KEYFINDINGS........................................................................................................................................5

4. RECOMMENDATIONS.........................................................................................................................39

Annex1:References

067-15–MarketNeedsAnalyses 3

1. INTRODUCTION

In order to accurately discuss the handicrafts sector we must first define the wordHandicrafts. It’susuallydefinedasarticlesthatareprincipallyofculturaloriginmadeprimarilybyhand,andproductioncanbesupplementedbysmallmachinery.Thisdefinitionfallsappallinglyshortwhenoneunderstandsthedynamiccommercialpotentialofthismulti-facettedsector.

In fact Handicrafts is an umbrella term encompassing a wide variety of production methodologies,productcategories,andmarketidentities.Forproductionmethodologies,itdenotesartisanalmadeandtraditionally inspired manufacturing techniques. The production methodologies can be individual,assemblyline,andpartiallymechanized.Theproductcategoriesarespreadwidelyacrosstheconsumergoods landscape,dependingonrawmaterialavailabilityandskillsets. Designaptitudeandqualityskillleveldefinesmarketidentity.

WhatsetsCRAFT,suchasshoerepair,apartfromARTisthedesignelement.Thiscontinuum,frombasiccrafttohighart,definesthespectrumofHandicraftasamarketcommodity.

MostoftenthewordHandicraftdoesnotinspiretheimaginationtograspthevastcommercialaspectofthesector.Thiscommercialpotentialiskeytokeepingtheunderlyingculturalimpetusaliveandactive,andtogeneratingincomeandincreasingemployment.

IndiahasbecometheglobalbeaconleadingHandicraftstobecoming,andbeingrecognizedas,anactualIndustry–ascalableandcommercialmanufacturingsector.InIndiathecraftssectorhasbecomea$4.5billion dollar industry1, generating employment and stimulating income growth and stability forhundredsofthousandsofpeople.AUSAIDreportonIndiasaidthat,“Behindagriculture,artisanactivityisthesecondlargestemployerinthedevelopingworld.”2

FordecadesGhanawas viewedas thepotential powerhouseof thehandicrafts industry inAfrica andwas expected to follow India’s lead to become the beacon in Africa to transformHandicrafts from aculturalactivitytoathrivingcommercialindustry.

Thisproject setsout todiscoverwhatare thebarriers thathave inhibitedhandicraft sectorgrowth inGhanaandbyinference,acrossAfrica.

One of the most interesting perspectives of this project is that it looks at the sector from theperspectives of two very different countries, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Though they share a commonlanguage, both are on the African continent, and their crafts sectors share many of the same rawmaterials, theyarequitedifferentandveryunique fromeachother.Ghanahasenormousproductioncapacityandexportsmanycontainersayearofhandicraftproducts,whileSierraLeone,particularlysincethe civil war, has had few handicraft exports resulting in limited production capacity and virtually noexports.

1http://www.ibef.org/exports/handicrafts-industry-india.aspx2Ted Barber and Marina Krivoshlykova of Development Alternatives, Inc. 2006. USAID report: “Global Market Assessment for Handicrafts.”


Annex1–PeopleConsulted

Byworkinginthesamesectorinthesetwocountrieswetargetanotherimportantcontinuum,nascenttohighlyexperiencedproductionandexportcapacity.

The third continuumof this sector is production capacity, from completely individually handmade tosemi-industrial.Thekey tocommercial success is to identifywhereone fallson thesecontinuumsandwhereoneneedstobetocapturetargetmarkets.Oncethisisidentifiedthenwecanlookatwhatarethetechnicalbarrierstoattainingcommercialandexportsuccess.

After numerous interviews in both Sierra Leone and Ghana two key product categories have beenchosen for the focus of this in-depth needs assessment; basketry andwooden home décor. Both ofthesecategoriesareproducedinbothcountriesandbothhaveEuropeanmarketappeal.

2. OBJECTIVEOFTHEMARKETNEEDSANALYSES

Theobjectiveofthisreport istooutlinethebarriersto internationaltrade,mostnotablytheaccesstoEUmarkets,fortheHandicraftssector,particularlyforthewoodenhomedécorandbasketrysectors.

ThebiggestchallengefacinghandicraftproducersinGhanaandSierraLeone,andthroughoutAfrica,istoknowexactlywhatthetargetmarketwantstobuyandatwhatprice.Producerswhodonotliveinthetargetmarketcannotfeasiblystayastepaheadofmarkettrends.Ifproducerscannotmakeproductsthe

The above market chart shows the general handicraft sector continuums and will serve as the guide for market needs analyses and market mapping.

Craft

Critical Market arket

Highly Experienced

Not Very Experienced

Art

Inexpensive

Very expensive

Mass Market

Luxury Market

Production Continuum

Market Continuum

Design Continuum

Market Strata


marketwantstobuy,thentechnicalbarrierstotradeareamootpoint.

Likewise, if products are sought by the targetmarket and theproducer is capable of producing themsufficiently,butthelawsorregulationsrestrictthetradeflow,thentheopportunitiesarestrainedandeven lost. Therefore this report examines equally the market-driven barriers to trade as well as theregulatoryandtechnicalbarriers.

In reviewing technical barriers government ministries, regulatory bodies and handicraft small andmedium-sized enterprises (SMEs) support institutions and their activities as related to handicraftsdevelopmentandexportshavebeenconsulted.

TheexistingregulationsinGhanaandSierraLeonefortheproductionofHandicraftswillbeassessedinlight of related international and EU standards. Recommendations on how to enhance the existinghandicraftssystemtomeettheEUstandardswillalsobeprovided.

Finally, theEUasthetargetmarketwillbeassessedforopportunitiesandaswellasbarrierstotrade.TechnicalbarriersaswellandmarketdrivenandhiddenbarriersarecitedtoprovideacompletepictureofthepossibilitiesofaccessingEUmarkets.

3. KEYFINDINGS

3.1BarrierstoTrade

3.1.ATechnicalBarrierstoTrade

3.1.A.aTechnicalRegulations,StandardsandConformityAssessmentProcedures

According to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a standard is a document thatprovides requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently toensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose.3 In other words,standards set out the size, functions, performance andother characteristics of theproduct aswell ashowitislabelledorpackagedbeforeitentersthemarketplace.European Standards (ENs) are documents that have been ratified by one of the three EuropeanStandardizationOrganizations(ESOs),theEuropeanCommitteeforStandardization(CEN),theEuropeanCommittee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the European TelecommunicationsStandardsInstitute(ETSI);recognizedascompetentintheareaofvoluntarytechnicalstandardizationasfortheEURegulation1025/2012.Standardsarevoluntarywhichmeansthatthereisnolegalobligationto apply them. However, certain standards aremade compulsory by laws and regulations thatmakecompliancewiththemmandatory.4

The standards are costly, may vary from country to country andmay affect international trade. TheWorldTradeOrganization(WTO)AgreementonTechnicalBarrierstoTradeprovidesforrulesaimedat

3http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards.htm4http://www.cencenelec.eu/standards/DefEN/Pages/default.aspx


preventingthesemeasuresfrombecomingunnecessarybarrierstotrade.5AccordingtotheEuropeanCommission(EC),amanufacturercanonlyplaceaproductontheEUmarketwhenitmeetsalltheapplicablerequirements.Therefore,aconformityassessmentprocedureiscarriedoutbeforetheproductcanbesold.Itconsistofthefollowing:• Theconformityofaproductisassessedbeforeitisplacedonthemarket.• Itneedstodemonstratethatalllegislativerequirementsaremet.• Itincludestesting,inspectionandcertification.• Theprocedureforeachproductisspecifiedintheapplicableproductlegislation.

Aspartof conformityassessment, themanufactureror theauthorized representativemustdrawupaDeclarationofConformity(DoC).Thedeclarationshouldcontainallinformationtoidentify:• Theproduct• Thelegislationaccordingtowhichitisissued• Themanufacturerortheauthorizedrepresentative• Thenotifiedbodyifapplicable• Areferencetoharmonizedstandardsorothernormativedocuments,whereappropriate.

The EuropeanCommission’smain objective is to help ensure that unsafe or otherwise non-compliantproductsdonotfindtheirwaytotheEUmarket.6In Ghana, the standards authority (GSA) is a certification and inspection body that works as thesecretariattofacilitatethe issuanceofnationalstandardsandtheadoptionof internationalstandards.According toMrsAdetola,GSADeputy ExecutiveDirector, there areno standards for handicrafts andthereforenoneedfornationalstandardsforhandicrafts.GSAexportcertificationismandatoryevenforhandicrafts.However,thismeasureisnotbeingenforcedbytheCustoms,inmanycasesexportersstillcanexportwithoutgetting theGSAexport certification.Moreover,GSA is the regulatoryauthority fortheforestry.GSAstandardsareavailablefortextilesandwoodfurniturethatmayapplytohandicraftsbutareprimarilymeantforindustrialproduction.3.1.A.bCustomsDutiesThere is no universally accepted definition for handicrafts. The generic term “handicrafts” is used todesignateawiderangeofitemsincludinggifts,homedécor,furniture,jewellery,ceramics,etc.Withoutaseparateproductclassificationitisdifficulttoassessthecustomsdutiesandotherrelatedlevies.AccordingtotheNationalRevenueAuthority(NRA)inSierraLeonetherearenodutiesontheexportofhandicrafts.Moreover, Customs does not require any particular license for handicrafts. The requireddocuments for export are a business licence and an export license from the Ministry of Trade and

5https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/goods/building-blocks/conformity-assessment_en6https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/goods/building-blocks/conformity-assessment_en


industry(Permanentsecretary).InGhana,therearenodutiesontheexportofhandicrafts.HoweverthereisaMuseumtaxleviedbytheGhanaMuseumsandMonumentsBoard,thoughtheconsultantswerenotabletoattainwrittencopiesofanystatutespertainingtothistax.

3.1.B.MarketDrivenBarriers

3.1.B.aDesignandTrends

“African design is growing in popularity, especially in the home decoration industry where demand is

outstripping supply. The call is not for the masks and statues sold on sidewalks around the world.

Interior decorators are looking to African designers for naturally-sourced, beautifully crafted, high-end

objects.” WIPO magazine7

Lack of marketable designs is the most significant market-driven barrier to handicrafts exports.Throughout the developing world, those countries with strong design capacity or the resources tofinanceprofessionalandon-goingdesigninputshavethestrongestexports.Indiaisaperfectexample.FromamongitsmanyqualitydesignschoolstheNationalInstituteofDesignisratedinthetop25designschoolsintheworld.8AndIndiaisnowexporting$4.5billionincraftsayear.Good,solid,market-drivendesigninputswillbethekeydrivertodevelopingandsustainingsectorgrowth.

Withoutstrongdesigninputsartisansstruggletryingtosecondguesswhatthemarketmaywant,relyingonwhattheywerepurchasinginthepastandspendingtimeandmoneywithlittlebenefit.

Thedesignchallengemanifests itself verydifferently inGhanaandSierra Leone.Yearsago,ATAGandGhanaianartisansgreatlybenefittedfromstrongdesign inputs, resulting insalesofmanycontainersayeartomajorUSbuyers.Butasmarkettrendsmovedon,thedesignsensibilityinGhanacouldnotkeep

7http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2008/04/article_0007.html8http://www.ranker.com/list/best-30-design-programs-in-the-world/college-info?var=2&utm_expid=16418821-231.JBrtOVQFR2C-wNUR7R69XA.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Twentyyearsagothemarkettrendwasfortraditionalmasks,statues,thenaccessoryitemswithAfricansymbols.TodaythetrendhasevolvedanditisforcontemporaryAfricandesign,notartefacts.

GhanaianMask GhanaianTable ChairbyMaliandesignerCheickDiallo


upwith changing trends and sales declined. Intermittent design inputs have been introduced in theinterveningyears,butnotenoughtomovetheentiresectorforwardandregainmarketrecognition.

Sierra Leone, on the other hand, has had little design inputs and the small artisan community seemsreadyandanxioustorespondwithvigour.

Inbothcasesthebarrieristhesame,thereisinsufficientfundingtolaunchseriousdesigninitiativesthatwillhaveasignificantandsustainableimpact.

3.1.B.bCostingandPricing

Productcostingandpricingisachallengeinalldevelopingcountriesandcanbeabarriertotrade.It isintimatelylinkedtotheissueofdesign.Ifdesigninputsaredonewithtargetmarketpricinginmind,thencostingisautomaticallyapartofthedesignprocessandmarketableproductscanbecreated.

Of course it is not always that simple. Many of the hidden barriers, cited below, do impactcosting/pricing. Over the years Ghana has been a leader in being able tomeet international pricingdemands. This is in part because it has many mechanized workshops, particularly for wood décorproductsandhasbuiltproduction capacity so that volumeproductionkeeps costs low.Butproducersarebeginningtofeelthecrunchof lowpricesthatarenowcoupledwithlowervolumesandincreasedhiddencosts.

SierraLeonemuststartwithsmallerscaleexportswhileworkingoutvolumerawmaterialpurchasesandgrowingitsproductioncapacity.

3.1.B.cTransportCosts

Internationalshipping ispaidforbythebuyer,andthosecostsarefactored intothefinalpriceoftheproduct.Manymedium-sizetolargebuyershavenegotiatedfavourablerateswiththeirchosenshippingline. Both Ghana and Sierra Leone have the advantage of being on the coast where long overlandtransportisnotanadditionalcostburden.

In talkingwithexportingartisancompanies inGhana theover-ridingcomplaintabout thechallengeofshipping costswere thepre-shipping costs at theport. Itwas indicated that there arenumerous feesthattheyseeeatingintotheiralreadynarrowmargins.Theywereparticularlyvocalabouttheburdenofthemuseumtax,whichtheyseeasunnecessary.Additionally,assmallexporters,thereistheburdenof“informaltaxes”toensureprompttreatmentofashipment.

Thefreight forwardingagentsat IMatrix101 inSierraLeone indicatedthatshippingcostsarerelativelyhigh in Sierra Leone, compared to its African neighbours because port services aremanaged by twoEuropeancompanies.AsSierraLeonehasoneofthedeepestnaturalportsontheAfricanAtlanticcoast,theysaidthatitwasashamethattheportisnotoperatingtocapacity.IMatrix101alsoindicatedthat“informaltaxes”arenotamajor issue inSierraLeone. AstherehavebeenfewartisanalexportsfromSierraLeone,theartisanalcommunityhadlittlecommentonshippingandtransportissues.

3.1.B.dCompetition

ConsistentlythroughoutAfricaChinaisseenasthemajorandmostmenacingcompetitor. Thisistrue,butnotasadefaultall-encompassingtruthasmostassume.Additionally,thereisanotherhiddenthreat


Thecompetitionis,inpart,dominatedbyChinaatthelowerendofthemarketspectrumand

Europe’sluxurygoodssector.

that iscurrentlybeingoverlooked,theEuropeanThreat.Europedominatesintheluxury-goodsmarketstream, of which Designer Handmade is a part. “Europe's high-end industries (luxury goods) showedcontinuousgrowthbetween2010and2013...TheEUisgloballeaderinhigh-endgoodswith70%worldmarketshare.”9ThisEUluxurysectorfocusesonexpertcraftsmanshipanddesigneleganceandtheEUispro-activeinhelpingthissectorgrow.10WhereasChinafocusesonlowpriceandmassproduction,asseeninthechartbelow.

An interesting trend in China is that the “Chinese exporters are shifting focus to their domesticmarket.”11Thistrendcouldresultinopeningtheirmarketsharetootherdevelopingcountries.

HistoricallyGhana’shandicraftexportshavebeen focussed, in largepart,on the samemarketswhereChina isstrong,soofcoursetheirroleasafiercecompetitor iskeenlyfelt.Ghana’sexportshavebeenmainly toUSdiscount and lower-end retailers such as TJMaxx, PierOne, Target, andCost PlusWorldMarket(CPWM)whoalsopurchasesignificantamountsfromChina.ThepositiveconsequenceforGhanais that it has gainedprofoundexperience inexportingprocedures, inhow tonavigate stringentbuyer

9http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=7985&lang=en&title=Creative-industries-trigger-innovation-spill-overs-in-other-industries10http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/fashion/high-end-industries/11https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/trends/

Craft

Critical Market arket

Highly Experienced

Not Very Experienced

Art

Inexpensive

Very expensive

Mass Market

Luxury Market

Production Continuum

Market Continuum

Design Continuum

Market Strata

TheChineseThreatisinthelowerendofthemarket–highlyexperienced,massmarketandlower-enddesign.

TheEUThreatisatthehighendofthemarketanddesign

continuums


expectations,andtheknowhowtoproduceinlargequantitiesinbothmechanizedandnon-mechanizedworkshops. These advantages are invaluable for Ghana tomove to the next chapter in its handicraftsectordevelopment.Becauseitcandocompetitivepricingandhasefficientproductionmethodologies,movingupthedesigncontinuumwillpositionitsquarelyinthecriticalmarketwhereitcouldsuccessfullycompeteandregainitsglobalmomentum.Ofcourse,thereiscompetitioninthemiddlesegmentofthemarket, but with good pricing and strong production capacity Ghana can compete on a more evenplayingfield.

As Sierra Leone is justbeginning its export trajectory, itwill startwith smallernichebuyers andbuildfromthere.

3.1.B.eProfessionalism

The strongest and most consistent complaint coming from buyers from around the globe regardingsourcing from Africa is the lack of professionalism, meaning adherence to deadlines, poorcommunicationskills,andthelackofgoodquality-controlstandards.ThoughthereareexampleswhereGhanaianentrepreneurshave fallen short, in generalGhanaian crafts exporters are far aheadof theirAfricanneighbours.

ThereisaninterestingdynamicinSierraLeonethatcouldfavourablypositionitfortheexportmarket.Asa result of thewar,many young peoplewere educated in theWest, the United Kingdom or the US,therebyingestingtheinternationalaestheticsensibilitiesandbeingverycomfortablewithsocialmediaand the Internet. The three Sierra Leonean crafts businesses interviewed for this study are led byentrepreneurswhohavespentsignificanttimebeingeducatedintargetmarkets.Thisexperiencewillbeasignificantassetinaccessingthesemarkets.

3.1.C.HiddenBarriers

Itisbeyondthescopeofthisprojecttothoroughlyresearchthehiddenbarrierstotrade.Itisimportant,however,tobecognizantofthesebarrierswhenplanningfutureinitiatives.Belowisabriefoverviewofsomeoftherecognizedhiddenbarrierstotradeforthehandicraftsector.

3.1.C.aAccesstoCredit

Many Ghanaian exporters expressed dismay at their inability to access affordable credit though theyhave been exporting formany years and have credible records. Another issue is that exporters seekshort-termcredittofundtime-sensitiveinternationalpurchaseorders.Theynotedthatoftenthecreditcomestooslowlyandtoolateforthemtobeabletopurchaserawmaterialsintimetofinishanorderbythe given deadline. Not responding to deadlines not only impacts this company, but as buyers talkamong themselves and report on issues, it reflects on the entire sector, and buyers becomewary ofpurchasingfromacountrythathasarecordofnotmeetingdeadlines.

Accesstocreditislessofanissueforordersfromsmallerimporterswhofinanceproductionwitha50%advance.Butwhenlookingatdynamicgrowthpotentialforthesector,thismeansaccessinglargerdirectimportretailchains,andthesecompaniesdonotofferadvances.ThisisoneareawhereAfricacannotevenlycompetewithAsiancompanies,tonofaultoftheAfricanproducers.


3.1.C.bDonorCommitment

Donor activity is not usually considered a barrier to trade. But in fact in the handicraft sector it iscertainlyabarrier.Fordecadesdonorperceptionofthehandicraftsectoristhatitisnotimportantandcannotrenderthelevelofresultsthatarepossibleinothersectors,somuchsothattherehavebeenfewseriousstudies tomeasure itspotentialpossibilitiesand impact, thereby limiting itsability to leveragethefundingnecessaryforsolidgrowth.

Withintheeconomicdevelopmentmilieu,billionsofdollarsarechannelledintoagriculture,energyandothereconomicsectors,butverylittleisearmarkedforhandicrafts,thoughmanyagriculturalproducerscangainmoreincomewiththe“secondaryemployment”ofhandicraftproduction. Asthesector issopoorlyviewedandwithfewin-depthstudiestochangethatview,thelackofdonorcommitmentkeepsthesectorflounderingandresourcestarved.

3.1.C.cPoliticalorHealthInstability

Political or health instability can profoundly impact entrepreneurs in Africa. Fortunately in the recentpastGhanahashadneithercrisis.ItisalsonoteworthythatGhana’shandicraftsectorispositionedwelltoweatherthosetypesofcrisesbecauseitfocusesonthewholesaleexportmarket.Thismarketwantsproductwhether or not there is political upheaval, sickness or other problems. It is themost stabletargetmarketforthehandicraftsector.

UnfortunatelyforSierraLeoneinthelastfewdecadesithasexperiencedacivilwarandthedevastatingEbolacrisis.Thereforeithasnothadthestabilitytoprogressinthehandicraftsector.Thesebarrierstotrade are not, in fact, “hidden” but quite palpable. Fortunately though, these barriers are past andentrepreneurscananddoreachtothefuture,bringingalongwiththemhundredsofworkerswhocangainfromtheirinsightandentrepreneurialvision.

3.1.C.dWeather

Weatherisnotnecessarilyacrisislikepoliticalupheavalbutitsnormalandnotsonormaloscillationsdoimpactthehandicraftsectorthoughlessprofoundlythanfortheagriculturalsector.Thehiddenweatherbarrierstotradeincludetheneedforworkerstoharvestcrops,theinabilitytosufficientlydryorseasonrawmaterials,theruinofrawmaterials,thelackofproperstoragefacilitieswhichcanleadtoproductmouldorinsectinfestation.

3.2LegalEnvironmentTheprotectionofhandicrafts hasbeendebatedextensively at the international level. Thenatureandshapes of those artistic products which are also referred to as artisanal products, craft products,traditional creative crafts or works of artistic or traditional craftsmanship, made it difficult for theinternationalcommunitytoagreeonadefinitionofhandicraftsandhenceonaneffectiveinternationalregimeofprotection.


In 1997, the UNESCO/ITC Symposium adopted the following definition for “artisanal products”:12“Artisanalproductsarethoseproducedbyartisans,eithercompletelybyhand,orwiththehelpofhandtoolsorevenmechanicalmeans, as longas thedirectmanual contributionof theartisan remains themostsubstantialcomponentofthefinishedproduct.Theseareproducedwithoutrestrictionintermsofquantity and using rawmaterials from sustainable resources. The special nature of artisanal productsderives from their distinctive features, which can be utilitarian, aesthetic, artistic, creative, culturallyattached, decorative, functional, traditional, religiously and socially symbolic and significant”. Thisdefinitionhighlights themain characteristics of handicrafts; however it doesnotmake anydistinctionbetweenhandicrafts (whicharenottraditional innature)andtraditionalhandicrafts.Themainfeaturethat distinguishes traditional handicrafts is that they are associated with an indigenous or localcommunitythathaspreservedthetraditionandtransmitteditfromgenerationtogeneration.In addition to being cultural assets that help promote cultural identity and preserve the values ofcommunities,handicraftsareeconomicassetsthatcanplayanessentialroleineconomicdevelopmentthrough job creation, trading and export opportunities if exploited and protected properly. Theeconomicsofhandicraftscanbethreatenedbyimitationandmisappropriationofthegenuineproductsatregionalandinternationallevels.Itmustbenoted,though,thatmanyproducerswhofeelexploitedbyothers copying their work or their cultural heritage are often doing the same practices with theirneighbours.Protecting handicrafts from misuse and other illicit exploitation can be done through IntellectualProperty (IP) laws, including sui generis systems, unfair competition law, consumer protection law aswell as non-IP laws, such as trade practices and labelling laws, use of contracts, customary andindigenouslawsandprotocols,culturalheritagepreservationlawsandprograms,commonlawremediessuchasunjustenrichment,rightsofpublicity,blasphemy,andcriminallaw.Itisimportanttonotethat,withregardtohandicraftsprotection,theabove-mentionednon-IPlawsarecomplementarytoexistingIP and unfair competition laws. They are also applied when the country in question lacks any IPregulations.ThemainsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenphysicalpropertyandIParesummarizedinthefollowingtable:13PhysicalProperty(tangibleormaterial) IntellectualProperty(intangibleorimmaterial)

Is property à the owner has exclusive right todeterminehowitisused.

Is property à the owner has exclusive right todeterminehowitisused.

Can only be used by one or a limited number ofpeopleatagiventime.

Can be used by various people at the same time(includingtheownerorcreator).

12SeeUNESCO/ITCSymposium"Craftsandtheinternationalmarket:tradeandcustomscodification"-Manila,6-8October199713foundin“MarketingCraftsandVisualArts:TheRoleofIntellectualProperty–Apracticalguide”,publishedjointlybytheInternationalTradeCentre(ITC)andtheWorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization(WIPO)availableat:http://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/intproperty/itc_p159/wipo_pub_itc_p159.pdf


Haseconomic valueas longas it existsor as longasthereisdemandforit.

Haseconomicvalueonlyforthedurationspecifiedinthelawsandaslongasthereisdemandforit.

Possibilityoftheftanddisputesconcerningownershipisratherlimited.

Greater possibility of theft and disputes concerningownership.

Theft occurs only if the possession of the propertychangeshands.

Theft occurs if the property is copied, imitated,adapted, translated, used, displayed, etc. withoutpermissionoftheownerorcreator.

Expenditure or income from the property may besubjecttotaxation.

Expenditure or income from the property may besubjecttotaxation.

May be valued and reflected on account books andbalancesheets.

May be valued and reflected on account books andbalancesheets.

Maybeinsured. Maybeinsured.

May be securitized and used as collateral forborrowingmoney.

May be securitized and used as collateral forborrowingmoney.

Forthepurposeofthisstudy,onlylawsandregulationsrelatedtohandicraftswillbecovered.3.2.AInternationalandEURegulationsIntellectual property rights (IPR) include industrial property rights (such as patents, trademarks,industrialdesigns,geographical indications,tradesecrets)andcopyrightandrelatedrights(knownalsoasneighbouringrights).TheprotectionofHandicraftsisnotlimitedtooneformofIP.Whiletheexternalappearanceordesignofhandicraftscanbeprotectedbycopyrightorindustrialdesigns,theirreputationcanbe subject toprotectionby trademarks (including collectiveand certificationmarks), geographicalindicationsorunfaircompetition.Theknow-howortheknowledgeusedtocreatethehandicraftscanbeprotectedbytradesecrets.WhentheHandicraftconstitutesor includesan invention,thiscanthenbeprotectedbypatent.14 Incaseofdishonestorfraudulentpractices,therulesonunfaircompetitionareused to restrain any act of competition contrary to honest practices in industrial or commercialmatters.15

ExplanationofeachoftheaforementionedIPformsissummarizedinthefollowingtable.

IPR Definition

Copyright Copyright (or author’s right) is a legal term used to describe the rights thatcreatorshaveovertheirliteraryandartisticworks.Workscoveredbycopyrightrange from books, music, paintings, sculpture, and films, to computerprograms,databases,advertisements,maps,andtechnicaldrawings.16

Patents Apatentisanexclusiverightgrantedforaninvention,whichisaproductora

14Seehttp://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_tk_5.pdf15SeeArticle10bisoftheParisConventiononindustrialproperty.ItistobenotedthatunfaircompetitionisnotanIPrightinitself,butitsprotectionhasbeenrecognizedasformingpartofIPprotection.16DefinitionprovidedbyWIPOathttp://www.wipo.int/copyright/en/


process that provides, in general, a newwayof doing something, or offers anew technical solution to a problem. To get a patent, technical informationabouttheinventionmustbedisclosedtothepublicinapatentapplication.17

Trademarks A trademark is a sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of oneenterprise from those of other enterprises. Trademarks are protected byintellectual property rights. A word or a combination of words, letters, andnumerals can perfectly constitute a trademark. But trademarks may alsoconsistofdrawings,symbols,three-dimensionalfeaturessuchastheshapeandpackaging of goods, non-visible signs such as sounds or fragrances, or colourshadesusedasdistinguishingfeatures–thepossibilitiesarealmostlimitless.18

CollectiveMarks Collectivemarksareusuallydefinedassignsthatdistinguish thegeographicalorigin, material, mode of manufacture or other common characteristics ofgoodsorservicesofdifferententerprisesusingthecollectivemark.Theownermaybeeitheranassociationofwhich thoseenterprisesaremembersoranyotherentity, includingapublic institutionora cooperative.Theownerof thecollective mark is responsible for ensuring the compliance with certainstandards(usuallyfixedintheregulationsconcerningtheuseofthecollectivemark) by itsmembers. Collectivemarks are often used to promote productsthatarecharacteristicofagivenregion.19

CertificationMarks Certification marks are usually given for compliance with defined standards,butarenotconfinedtoanymembership.Theymaybeusedbyanyonewhocancertify that the products involved meet certain established standards. Animportant requirement for certificationmarks is that theentitywhichappliesfor registration is considered "competent to certify" the products concerned.Certificationmarksmaybeusedtogetherwiththeindividualtrademarkoftheproducer of a given good. The label used as a certification mark will beevidencethatthecompany'sproductsmeetthespecificstandardsrequiredfortheuseofthecertificationmark.20

IndustrialDesign In a legal sense, an industrial design constitutes the ornamental or aestheticaspect of an article. An industrial design may consist of three-dimensionalfeatures,suchastheshapeofanarticle,ortwo-dimensionalfeatures,suchaspatterns, lines or colour. Industrial designs are applied to a wide variety ofproducts of industry and handicraft items: from packages and containers tofurnishing and household goods, from lighting equipment to jewellery, andfromelectronicdevicestotextiles.21

17DefinitionprovidedbyWIPOathttp://www.wipo.int/patents/en/18DefinitionprovidedbyWIPOathttp://www.wipo.int/trademarks/en/19DefinitionprovidedbyWIPOathttp://www.wipo.int/sme/en/ip_business/collective_marks/collective_marks.htm20DefinitionprovidedbyWIPOathttp://www.wipo.int/sme/en/ip_business/collective_marks/certification_marks.htm21DefinitionprovidedbyWIPOathttp://www.wipo.int/designs/en/


GeographicalIndications

Ageographicalindication(GI)isasignusedonproductsthathaveaspecificgeographicaloriginandpossessqualitiesorareputationthatareduetothatorigin.InordertofunctionasaGI,asignmustidentifyaproductasoriginatinginagivenplace.Inaddition,thequalities,characteristicsorreputationoftheproductshouldbeessentiallyduetotheplaceoforigin.Sincethequalitiesdependonthegeographicalplaceofproduction,thereisaclearlinkbetweentheproductanditsoriginalplaceofproduction.Geographicalindicationsaretypicallyusedforagriculturalproducts,foodstuffs,wineandspiritdrinks,handicrafts,andindustrialproducts.Therearethreemainwaystoprotectageographicalindication:22

• So-calledsuigenerissystems(i.e.specialregimesofprotection);• Usingcollectiveorcertificationmarks;• Methodsfocusingonbusinesspractices,includingadministrative

productapprovalschemes.TradeSecrets Any confidential business information that provides an enterprise a

competitiveedgemaybeconsideredatradesecret.Tradesecretsencompassmanufacturingor industrialsecretsandcommercialsecrets.Theunauthorizeduse of such information by persons other than the holder is regarded as anunfair practice and a violation of the trade secret. Depending on the legalsystem, the protection of trade secrets forms part of the general concept ofprotectionagainstunfaircompetitionorisbasedonspecificprovisionsorcaselawontheprotectionofconfidentialinformation.23

UnfairCompetition Unfair Competition is any act of competition contrary to honest practices inindustrialandcommercialmatters.24

3.2.A.aInternationalInstrumentsrelatedtohandicraftsThemajormultilateralconventionsthatdealwithIPareadministeredbytheWorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization(WIPO).ThecoreIPconventionswhichdealwithIPprotectionprovidefortheprincipleofnationaltreatmentaccordingtowhichcountriespartytotheconventionarerequiredtoaccordtothecitizensofotherparties the same rights to copyrightand industrialproperty that theyaccord to theirowncitizens.Accordingly,Ghanaianhandicraftsprotectedbycopyright inGhanaenjoy, incountriesofthe Berne Union (i.e. countriesmembers of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary andArtisticWorks)25, the rights which their respective laws grant to their nationals, as well as the rightsspeciallygrantedbytheBerneConvention.26The national treatment applies also if the GhanaianHandicraft is protected by an industrial propertyright such as industrial designs or trademarks. For instance, Nationals of Ghana, as regards the

22DefinitionprovidedbyWIPOathttp://www.wipo.int/geo_indications/en/23DefinitionprovidedbyWIPOathttp://www.wipo.int/sme/en/ip_business/trade_secrets/trade_secrets.htm24SeeArt.10bisoftheParisConventionforIndustrialProperty25GhanaisamemberoftheBerneConventionsince11/10/1991.26SeeArticle5oftheBerneConventionfortheProtectionofLiteraryandArtisticWorksavailableathttp://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/treaties/text.jsp?file_id=283698


protection of industrial property, enjoy in all the other countries of the Paris Union ((i.e. countriesmembersof theParisConventionfor theProtectionof IndustrialProperty)27 theadvantagesthattheirrespectivelawstonationals;allwithoutprejudicetotherightsspeciallyprovidedforbythisConvention.Consequently,theyshallhavethesameprotectionasthelatter,andthesamelegalremedyagainstanyinfringement of their rights, provided that the conditions and formalities imposed upon nationals arecompliedwith.28WIPOadministers26treaties includingtheConventionestablishingWIPO.IPprotectiontreatiesdefineinternationallyagreedbasicstandardsofIPprotectionineachcountry(SeebelowTable).29

IPPROTECTION SUMMARY

ParisConventionfortheProtectionof Industrial Property of 1883 (asamendedonSeptember28,1979)

The Paris Convention applies to industrial property, includingpatents, trademarks, industrial designs, trade names,geographical indications and the repression of unfaircompetition.

Berne Convention for theProtection of Literary and ArtisticWorks of 1886 (as amended onSeptember28,1979)

The Berne Convention deals with the protection of works andtherightsoftheirauthors. Itprovidescreatorssuchasauthors,musicians, poets, painters etc. with themeans to control howtheirworksareused,bywhom,andonwhatterms.

Madrid Agreement for theRepression of False or DeceptiveIndicationsofSourceonGoods

AdditionalActofStockholm(1967)

AccordingtotheMadridAgreement,allgoodsbearingafalseordeceptive indicationofsource,bywhichoneoftheContractingStates, or a place situated therein, is directly or indirectlyindicatedasbeingthecountryorplaceoforigin,mustbeseizedon importation, or such importation must be prohibited, orotheractionsandsanctionsmustbeappliedinconnectionwithsuchimportation.

TheGlobal IPProtectionSystemensures thatone international registrationor filingwillhaveeffect inanyof the relevant signatoryStates. The servicesprovidedbyWIPOunder these treaties simplifyandreduce the cost ofmaking individual applications or filings in all the countries in which protection issoughtforagivenIPright.(Seetablebelow).30

GLOBALPROTECTIONSYSTEM SUMMARY

Lisbon Agreement for the The Lisbon Agreement provides for the protection ofappellationsoforigin,thatis,the"geographicaldenominationof

27GhanaisamemberoftheParisConventionsince28/9/1976.SierraLeoneisalsoamembersince17/6/1997.28SeeArticle2oftheParisConventionfortheProtectionofIndustrialPropertyavailableathttp://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/treaties/text.jsp?file_id=28851429http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/index.html30http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/index.html


ProtectionofAppellationsofOriginand their InternationalRegistration(as amended on September 28,1979) and the Geneva Act of theLisbon Agreement on Appellationsof Origin and GeographicalIndications(asadoptedonMay20,2015)

a country, region, or locality, which serves to designate aproduct originating therein, the quality or characteristics ofwhich are due exclusively or essentially to the geographicenvironment,includingnaturalandhumanfactors".TheBulletin"Appellations ofOrigin" is the official publication of the Lisbonsystem.

Madrid Agreement Concerning theInternational Registration ofMarks(as amended on September 28,1979)

TheMadridSystemfortheInternationalRegistrationofMarksisgovernedbytheMadridAgreement,concludedin1891,andtheProtocol relating to that Agreement, concluded in 1989. Thesystemmakesitpossibletoprotectamarkinalargenumberofcountries by obtaining an international registration that haseffectineachofthedesignatedContractingParties.

Protocol Relating to the MadridAgreement Concerning theInternational Registration ofMarks(as amended on November 12,2007)

TheMadridSystemfortheInternationalRegistrationofMarksisgovernedbytheMadridAgreement,concludedin1891,andtheProtocol relating to that Agreement, concluded in 1989. Thesystemmakesitpossibletoprotectamarkinalargenumberofcountries by obtaining an international registration that haseffectineachofthedesignatedContractingParties.

PatentCooperationTreaty(PCT)(asmodifiedonOctober3,2001)

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)makes it possible to seekpatent protection for an invention simultaneously in each of alarge number of countries by filing an "international" patentapplication.SuchanapplicationmaybefiledbyanyonewhoisanationalorresidentofaPCTContractingState.ItmaygenerallybefiledwiththenationalpatentofficeoftheContractingStateof which the applicant is a national or resident or, at theapplicant's option, with the International Bureau of WIPO inGeneva.

The Hague Agreement Concerningthe International Deposit ofIndustrial Designs (1925) and itsamendments,

TheHagueAgreement governs the international registrationofindustrial designs. First adopted in 1925, the Agreementeffectively establishes an international system – the HagueSystem – that allows industrial designs to be protected inmultiplecountriesorregionswithminimalformalities.

TheprotectionofHandicraftsthataretraditionalculturalexpressions(TCEs)or"expressionsoffolklore"intheirdesign,appearanceandstyle,orembodytraditionalknowledge(TK)intheformoftheskillsandknow-how used to produce them is being discussed underWIPO’s Intergovernmental Committee onIntellectualPropertyandGeneticResources,TraditionalKnowledgeandFolklore(IGC)andisnegotiatinginternationallegalprotectionofTraditionalculturalexpressions(TCEs).TheIGCwasestablishedin2000


andhasmadetodatesubstantialprogressinthisregard.31TRIPS adopts requirements of previous multi-lateral conventions in both copyright and industrialproperty, and in particular embraces the requirements of the Berne and Paris conventions (thusessentiallymakingthem,oratleasttheirstandards,mandatoryforWTOmembers.As IP became more important in trade, new internationally-agreed trade rules along with a bindingsystemforenforcementofIPRwereincorporatedintheWorldTradeOrganization(WTO)AgreementonTradeRelatedAspectsonIntellectualPropertyRightsknownastheTRIPsAgreement.ThemainfeaturesoftheAgreementarethefollowing:32

• Standards: In respect of each of the main areas of IP, it establishes minimum standards ofprotectiontobeprovidedbyeachmember.Tomeetthesestandards, theAgreementrequiresWTOmemberstocomplywiththesubstantiveobligationsofthemainWIPOconventionsonIPProtection (i.e. the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the BerneConventionfortheProtectionofLiteraryandArtisticWorks)intheirmostrecentversions.WiththeexceptionoftheprovisionsoftheBerneConventiononmoralrights,allthemainsubstantiveprovisions of these conventions are incorporated by reference and thus become obligationsundertheTRIPSAgreementbetweenTRIPSMembercountries.NewIPobligationsareaddedinmatterswheretheaforementionedconventionsaresilent.

• Enforcement:TheAgreementprovides foradetailedsetofprovisionsonenforcementof IP inthecountryandattheborderswhichincludecivilandadministrativeproceduresandremedies,provisionalmeasures,specialrequirementsrelatedtobordermeasuresandcriminalprocedures.

• DisputeSettlement:TheAgreementmakesdisputesbetweenWTOMembersabouttherespectoftheTRIPSobligationssubjecttotheWTO'sdisputesettlementprocedures.ItalsoallowsfortradesanctionstowardsWTOmembersthatdonotcomplywithTRIPSobligations.33

TheAgreementprovidesalsoforthefundamentalrulesonnationaltreatmentandmost-favoured-nationtreatmentofforeignnationals,whicharecommontoallcategoriesof intellectualpropertycoveredbytheAgreement.While thenational treatment clause forbids discriminationbetweenaMember's ownnationalsandthenationalsofotherMembers,themost-favoured-nation(MFN)treatmentclauseforbidsdiscrimination between the nationals of other Members. In other words, With regard to MFN, anyadvantage, favour, privilege or immunity granted by aMember to the nationals of any other countryshallbeaccordedimmediatelyandunconditionallytothenationalsofallotherMembers.34UNESCOisanadditionalinternationalsourceforhandicraftsprotection.Asstatedabove,thedefinitionof “Artisanal Products” was adopted by the UNESCO/ITC Symposium "Crafts and the international

31Seehttp://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_tk_5.pdf32Seehttps://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/agrm7_e.htmandhttps://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/trips_e/intel2_e.htm#33Seehttps://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/TRIPS_e/intel2_e.htm#34Seehttps://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/27-trips_03_e.htm#art4


market: trade and customs codification" - Manila, 6-8 October 1997.35 UNESCO initiated severalprograms/projectsaimingatdevelopingandpreservingthecraftssector. Italsoadministersanumberofconventionstoprotectcultureandcreativityinparticularthefollowing:

• TheUniversalCopyrightConventionasrevisedatParison24July1971• Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict with

RegulationsfortheExecutionoftheConvention.TheHague,14May1954.• ConventionfortheProtectionofProducersofPhonogramsagainstUnauthorizedDuplication

oftheirPhonograms.Geneva,29October1971.• ConventionfortheSafeguardingoftheIntangibleCulturalHeritage.Paris,17October2003.• Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and

TransferofOwnershipofCulturalProperty.Paris,14November1970.• ConventionontheProtectionandPromotionoftheDiversityofCulturalExpressions.Paris,

20October2005• ConventionontheProtectionoftheUnderwaterCulturalHeritage.Paris,2November2001.• UNIDROITConventiononStolenorIllegallyExportedCulturalObjects(Rome,1995)-STATUS

WiththeexceptionofUCC,GhanaismemberoftheaforementionedUNESCOconventionssince2015.

3.2.A.bEUlegislationrelatedtohandicraftsAllEUcountriesarepartiestotheParisConventionfortheProtectionofIndustrialProperty,theBerneConventionfortheProtectionofLiteraryandArtisticPropertyandmembersoftheWTOthat includesthe TRIPS Agreement. The EU countries are hence bound by the agreements’ principles on nationaltreatmentandmost-favoured-nationtreatment.Accordingly,EUcountriesarerequiredtoaccordtothenationalsofotherpartiesthesamerightstocopyrightandindustrialpropertythattheyaccordtotheirownnationals.Moreover,trade-relatedprivilegesgrantedbyEUcountriestoonecountry(evenifnotaWTOMember)mustalsobegrantedtoallWTOMembersincludingGhanaandSierraLeona,whicharebothmemberssince1995.TheprotectionofhandicraftsisnotharmonizedintheEU.TheprotectiondiffersfromoneEUcountrytoanother.Inadditiontohandicraftsthatareeligibleforprotectionbycopyrightandindustrialdesigns,aprotection of handicrafts especially those with geographical indication origins can be protected byTrademarkLaw,LawonUnfairCompetition,lawonGeographicalIndications,ConsumerProtectionLaw,the Penal Code andMarketing Law in addition to specific or sui generis legislation that take variousforms,rangingfromregionalornationalregulationsonspecificcrafts(e.g.ceramics),tospecificlawsonacertainproduct(e.g.Solingenknives)ortoregionalornationallaws.36CopyrightThe EU copyright legislation is a set of ten directives, addressed to the EU Member States, whichharmonizetherightsofauthorsandholdersofneighbouringrights.37ManyoftheEUdirectivesreflect

35Seehttp://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=35418&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html36Seehttp://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-486_en.htm?locale=en37Seehttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/eu-copyright-legislation


Member States' obligationsunder international treaties/ conventions (such as theBerneConvention),theWTOTRIPSAgreementaswellasfreetradeagreements(FTAs)concludedbytheEUwith itstradepartners.TheEUisnegotiatinganEconomicPartnershipAgreement(EPA)withGhana38andanotherEPAwithECOWAStowhichSierraLeoneisanegotiatingparty.39ThefollowingDirectivesareofrelevancetotheprotectionofhandicraftsbycopyright:

• Directiveonrentalrightandlendingrightandoncertainrightsrelatedtocopyrightinthefieldofintellectualproperty("RentalandLendingDirective"),12December2006

• Directiveontheresalerightforthebenefitoftheauthorofanoriginalworkofart ("ResaleRightDirective"),27September2001

• Directiveontheenforcementofintellectualpropertyright(“IPRED”),29April2004• Directiveon the term of protection of copyright and certain related rights amending the

previous2006Directive(“TermDirective”),27September2011

IndustrialDesignsIn 1998, the EU adopted Directive 98/71/EC on the legal protection of designs. The objective of theDesign Directive is to harmonize the EU laws on designs and to ensure that right holders enjoyequivalentprotection inallEUcountries. In2002,aunitarydesignrightwasestablishedbyRegulationNo6/2002onCommunitydesignaccording towhich it ispossible to registeran industrialdesignasaEuropeanCommunitydesign,whichisvalidinallEUMemberStates,andtheregistrationprocedureofsuchadesigniscarriedoutbytheEuropeanUnionIntellectualPropertyOffice(EUIPO).40TrademarksIn theEuropeanUnion, trademarkprotection canbeobtainedat thenational level under the lawsofeach Member State, at the regional level in the Benelux countries and, at the EU level through aEuropeanUniontrademarkthatisvalidthroughouttheEUMemberStates.WithintheEU,nationalandEuropeanUniontrademarkprotectionco-exist.On16December2015,theEuropeanUnion’strademarklaw,enactedinRegulation(EC)No207/2009of26 February 2009 on the Community trademark, was amended by Regulation (EU) 2015/2424 of theEuropean Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2015 amending Council Regulation (EC) No207/2009 on the Community trademark and Commission Regulation (EC) No 2868/95 implementingCouncilRegulation (EC)No40/94ontheCommunity trademark,andrepealingCommissionRegulation(EC)No2869/95onthefeespayabletotheOfficeforHarmonizationintheInternalMarket(TradeMarksandDesigns).TheAmendingRegulationconsistsoffourArticlesasfollows:41

• Article1containstheamendmentsoftheRegulationontheCommunitytrademark,whichisnowcalledRegulationontheEuropeanUniontrademark.

38Seehttp://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2009/june/tradoc_143814.pdf39Seehttp://www.epa.ecowas.int/pageevents/news/40https://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/intellectual-property/industrial-design/protection_en41http://www.inta.org/TrademarkBasics/Documents/EUTMR%20COMPLETE.pdf


• Article2containsamendmentsoftheCommissionRegulation(EC)No2868/95implementingCouncilRegulation(EC)No40/94ontheCommunitytrademark,generallyreferredtoastheImplementingRegulation.

• Article3repealsCommissionRegulation(EC)No2869/95onthefeespayabletotheOfficeforHarmonizationintheInternalMarket(TradeMarksandDesigns).AllprovisionsregardingfeesarenowfoundintheamendedRegulationitself.

• Article4concernstheentryintoforceoftheamendments.

On23December2015,Directive (EU)2015/2436of theEuropeanParliamentandof theCouncilof16December2015toapproximatethelawsoftheMemberStatesrelatingtotrademarks,waspublishedintheOfficialJournal.

EUtrademarksareregisteredattheEuropeanUnionIntellectualPropertyOffice(EUIPO).Itisanall-or-nothingdealthatmeanseitheronegetsitforallMemberStatesoronedoesnotgetitatall.TheCommunitytrademarkregulationwasamendedbyRegulation(EU)No2015/2424oftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil42whichenteredintoforceon23March2016.TheOfficeforHarmonizationintheInternalMarket(OHIM)isnowcalledtheEuropeanUnionIntellectualPropertyOffice(EUIPO)andtheCommunitytrademarkwillbecalledtheEuropeanUniontrademark.TheAmendingRegulationwaspublishedon24December2015and is part of the EU trademark reform legislativepackage that alsoincludesthereplacementoftheexistingEUTradeMarkDirective(Directive2008/95/ECoftheEuropeanParliamentandtheCouncil).43Regulation (EU)2015/2424andDirective (EU)2015/2436provide for specialprovisionswith regard tocollectivemarks,guaranteemarksandcertificationmarkswhichallowfor theprotectionof“signsorindicationswhichmay serve, in trade, to designate the geographical origin of the goods or services”.MemberStatesareentitledtosetoutadditionalgroundsforrefusalforthesemarks.AccordingtoArticle27oftheDirective(a)“guaranteeorcertificationmark”meansatrademarkwhichisdescribedassuchwhenthemarkisappliedforandiscapableofdistinguishinggoodsorserviceswhichare certified by the proprietor of themark in respect ofmaterial,mode ofmanufacture of goods orperformanceof services,quality, accuracyorother characteristics, fromgoodsand serviceswhicharenotsocertified;(b)“collectivemark”meansatrademarkwhichisdescribedassuchwhenthemarkisappliedforandiscapableofdistinguishingthegoodsorservicesofthemembersofanassociationwhichistheproprietorofthemarkfromthegoodsorservicesofotherundertakings.

42Regulation(EU)2015/2424oftheEuropeanParliamentandoftheCouncilof16December2015amendingCouncilRegulation(EC)No207/2009ontheCommunitytrademarkandCommissionRegulation(EC)No2868/95implementingCouncilRegulation(EC)No40/94ontheCommunitytrademark,andrepealingCommissionRegulation(EC)No2869/95onthefeespayabletotheOfficeforHarmonizationintheInternalMarket(TradeMarksandDesigns)(TextwithEEArelevance).43Seehttps://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/eu-trade-mark-legal-texts


The following international agreements to which EUMember States are parties affect the EuropeanUniontrademarkandCommunitydesignregistration.44

• ParisConventionfortheProtectionofIndustrialProperty• Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the

PurposesoftheRegistrationofMarks,revisedatStockholmonJuly14,1967,andatGenevaonMay13,1977,andamendedonSeptember28,1979

• LocarnoAgreementEstablishinganInternationalClassificationforIndustrialDesigns.SignedatLocarnoasamendedonSeptember28,1979

• ViennaAgreementEstablishingan InternationalClassificationof theFigurativeElementsofMarks.AmendedonOctober1,1985

• ProtocoladoptedatMadridrelatingtotheMadridAgreementconcerningtheinternationalregistrationofmarks

• AgreementonTrade-relatedAspectsofIPrights• TrademarkLawTreaty• GenevaActoftheHagueAgreementConcerningtheInternationalRegistrationofIndustrial

DesignsAdoptedbytheDiplomaticConference• SingaporeTreatyontheLawofTrademarksofSingapore

GeographicalIndicationsIn Europe, GI protection is available for both agricultural and non-agricultural products. Whileagricultural products can enjoy unitary protection granted exclusively at EU level, non-agriculturalGIsareprotectedonlyatnationalandregionallevels,throughvariousnationallegalframeworks.45Council Regulation (EC) No 1898/2006 modified by Council Regulation (EC) No 628/2008 containsdetailedrulesfortheapplicationofCouncilRegulation(EC)No510/2006whichestablishestherulesforprotecting designations of origin and geographical indications for agricultural products and foodstuffsintended for human consumption. It sets out the specific rules applicable to groups, names, rawmaterialsandthelabellingofagriculturalproducts.46In 2011 the EU launched a “Study on geographical indications for non-agricultural products (mainlyhandicrafts) in the internalmarket”. The study thatwas published by the Commission inMarch 2013highlights the insufficiencyof the existing legal instruments available for producers at national and atEuropeanlevel.47Itconcludesthat,“thereisacasetobemadeforthecreationofaunitarysuigenerissystemfortheprotectionofnon-agriculturalGIsattheEUlevel”.TheCommissionorganizedapublichearingon22April2013todiscusstheresultsoftheStudyandtheneedformoreefficientGIprotectionofnon-agriculturalproductsatEUlevel.Manyoftheparticipatingstakeholderswereinfavourofthestudy’scall.InlightoftheresultsoftheStudyandtheoutcomeofthe

44https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/international-treaties45Seehttp://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-486_en.htm?locale=en46Seehttp://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=URISERV%3Al66044#47Seehttp://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/LSU/?uri=CELEX:52014DC0469.


publichearing,theCommissiondecidedtopursue itsanalyticalworkthroughaGreenPaperaimingatconsultingwithallstakeholdersinthebroadestpossiblemanneronwhetherthereisaneed,intheEU,to increaseGIprotection fornon-agriculturalproducts, and if sowhatapproach shouldbe taken. TheGreenPaper invitedall interestedpartiestocommentonthe issuesraisedandrespondtothespecificquestions listed. The result of the consultationwill be taken into accountby theCommissionwhen itdecideswhetherfurtheractionisappropriateatEUlevel.48EUCountriesaremembersofthefollowingtreatiesonGIsProtection.Accordingtothesetreaties,bothagricultural and non-agricultural products are allowed a GIs protection. The scope of the protectiongrantedtoGIsandotheraspectsofGIprotectiondifferfromonetreatytotheother.

• ParisConventionfortheProtectionofIndustrialProperty• Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International

Registration.• WTOTRIPSAgreement(Articles22to24)

UnfairCompetitionThe Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair business-to-consumercommercialpractices in the internalmarket)49 laysdownharmonized rules for the fight againstunfaircommercialpractices.Itensuresthatconsumersarenotmisledorexposedtoaggressivemarketingandthat any claim made by traders in the EU is clear, accurate and substantiated. It seeks to enableconsumerstomake informedandmeaningfulchoices.TheDirectivealsoaimstoensure,promoteandprotectfaircompetitionintheareaofcommercialpractices.503.2.BExistingRegulationsinWestAfrica

3.2.B.aNationalLegislation:Ghana&SierraLeoneGhana51 and Sierra Leone are committed to the protection of handicrafts through various legislationincludingnationallaws,IPtreatiesadministeredbyWIPO,UNESCOadministeredtreatiesoncultureandcopyrightaswellasregionalandtradeagreements.TreatyMembershipGhana and Sierra Leone52 are members of the following treaties/agreements that are directly orindirectlyrelatedtohandicraftsprotection:

Treaty/Agreement EntryintoforceofthetreatyforGhana

EntryintoforceofthetreatyforSierraLeone

48http://www.ab.gov.tr/files/ardb/evt/1_avrupa_birligi/1_6_raporlar/1_2_green_papers/com2014_green_paper_nonagricultural_products.pdf49Seehttp://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:149:0022:0039:EN:PDF.50Seehttp://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumer_rights/unfair-trade/index_en.htm51Seehttp://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/profile.jsp?code=gh52Seehttp://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/profile.jsp?code=sl




WIPO Performances and PhonogramsTreaty

February16,2013 Notamember

Hague Agreement Concerning theInternational Registration of IndustrialDesigns

September16,2008 Notamember

Madrid Agreement Concerning theInternationalRegistrationofMarks

Notamember June17,1997

Protocol Relating to the MadridAgreement Concerning theInternationalRegistrationofMarks

September16,2008 December28,1999

WIPOCopyrightTreaty November18,2006 Notamember

PatentCooperationTreaty February26,1997 June17,1997

BerneConventionfortheProtectionofLiteraryandArtisticWorks

October11,1991 Notamember

Paris Convention for the Protection ofIndustrialProperty

September28,1976 June17,1997

Convention Establishing the WorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization

June12,1976 May18,1986

ConventionfortheSafeguardingoftheIntangibleCulturalHeritage

April20,2016 Notamember

Convention on the Means ofProhibiting and Preventing the IllicitImport, Export and Transfer ofOwnershipofCulturalProperty


Convention on the Protection andPromotion of the Diversity of CulturalExpressions2005


Convention on the Protection of theUnderwaterCulturalHeritage


Convention on the Rights of PersonswithDisabilities

August30,2012 November3,2010

OptionalProtocoltotheConventionontheRightsofPersonswithDisabilities

August30,2012 Notamember




Kyoto Protocol to the United NationsFramework Convention on ClimateChange

February16,2005 September20,1995

Stockholm Convention on PersistentOrganicPollutants

May17,2004 May17,2004

International Covenant on Economic,SocialandCulturalRights

December7,2000 November23,1996

Agreement establishing the WorldTradeOrganization(WTO)

January1,1995 July23,1995

World Trade Organization (WTO) -AgreementonTrade-RelatedAspectsofIntellectual Property Rights (TRIPSAgreement)(1994)

January1,1995 July23,1995

Convention concerning the Protectionof the World Cultural and NaturalHeritage

December17,1975 April7,2005

Universal Copyright Convention of 6September 1952, with AppendixDeclaration relating to Article XVII andResolutionconcerningArticleXI

August22,1962 Notamember

Protocol 1 annexed to the UniversalCopyright Convention as signed atGeneva on 6 September 1952concerning the application of thatConvention to works of statelesspersonsandrefugees

May22,1962 Notamember

Protocol 2 annexed to the UniversalCopyright Convention as signed atGeneva on 6 September 1952concerning the application of thatConvention the works of certaininternationalorganizations


Protocol 3 annexed to the UniversalCopyright Convention as signed atGeneva on 6 September 1952concerning the effective date of





instruments of ratification oracceptance of or accession to thatConvention

Convention for the Protection ofCulturalPropertyintheEventofArmedConflict


Protocol to the Convention for theProtection of Cultural Property in theEventofArmedConflict


CulturalCharterforAfrica September19,1990 Notamember

Harare Protocol on Patents andIndustrial Designs Within theFramework of the African RegionalIndustrial Property Organization(ARIPO)

April25,1984 February25,1999

Lusaka Agreement on the Creation ofthe African Regional IntellectualPropertyOrganization(ARIPO)

February15,1978 December5,1980

ConstitutiveActoftheAfricanUnion May26,2001 May26,2001

Economic Community of West AfricanStates(ECOWAS)

August23,1995 August23,1995

Abuja Treaty Establishing the AfricanEconomicCommunity(AEC)

May12,1994 May12,1994

Global System of Trade PreferencesamongDevelopingCountries


The Georgetown Agreement (formallyestablishingtheAfrican,CaribbeanandPacific Group of States, the "ACPGroup"),since1975(ACP)

February12,1976 February12,1976

IPLegislationIn 2010 Ghana developed a National Intellectual Property Policy Strategy (NIPPS) as a result of theimplementationoftheSwiss-GhanaIntellectualPropertyRightsProject.53TheNIPPSentailedareformof

53 The Swiss-Ghana Intellectual PropertyRightsProject is part ofGhana’s TradePolicyReformsunder theTrade


theGhanaianlegalandinstitutionalIPsystemincludingthefollowing:• ReviewandamendmentofexistingIPlegislationtobringtheminlinewiththeTRIPSAgreement

and best practices (such as the law on Trademarks, Patent Law and the Law on IndustrialDesigns,LawonGIsandLawonunfaircompetition).

• Develop new IP laws on new and emerging areas (such as traditional knowledge and geneticresources).

• AccedetointernationaltreatiesonIP.• EstablishaNationalIPOffice.• Modernizeandautomatetheexistingadministrativesystemsandprocedures.• SecurefundingforIPdevelopmentbyindustryandSMEs.• EstablishNationalCenterforCreativeIndustries.• Createanenablingenvironmenttostimulateinnovationandcreativity.• PromoteandfacilitatecommercialexploitationofIPandtechnologytransfer.• StrengthenIPenforcementandraiseawarenessonIP.

CopyrightCopyright protection is available in Ghana through the Copyright Act No 690 dated June 3, 2005, theCopyright (Amendment) Act No Act 788 dated December 31, 2009, and implementing CopyrightRegulation No L.I. 1962 dated February 15, 2010. Copyright protection is also provided throughinternationaltreatiesandagreementsrelatedtoCopyrightratifiedbyGhana.The Copyright Act covers literary and artistic works, related Rights (Neighbouring Rights), TraditionalCultural Expressions (or "expressions of folklore"), IP Enforcement and the IP Regulatory Body.54 TheCopyrightActappliestoallhandicraftseligibleforcopyrightprotectionasstatedinSection1oftheAct.Handicraftsarementionedundersection76(f)of the lawasanexampleofcopyrightableartisticworks(“worksofappliedartwhetherhandicraftorproducedonanindustrialscale”).The Copyright Act defines “folklore” as “literary, artistic and scientific expressions belonging to theculturalheritageofGhanawhicharecreated,preservedanddevelopedbyethniccommunitiesofGhanaorbyanunidentifiedGhanaianauthor,andincludesKenteandAdinkradesigns,wheretheauthorofthedesigns are not known, and any similarwork designated under this Act to beworks of folklore”55Webelieve that this clause is problematic asKenteandAdinkradesigns are also common tootherAfricancountries.AccordingtoourmeetingswithHon.KwameAnyimadu-Antwithisprotectionwascriticizedandrejected by the international community (in particular WIPO).56 This protection was also criticized byUNESCO which refused to protect Kente as a Ghanaian masterpiece because other neighbouring

SectorSupportProgram.Formoreinfoseethehardcopyofthe“NationalIntellectualPropertyPolicyStrategy”(January2016),acopyofwhichwassubmittedtoATAG.54Seehttp://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=14803755Seesection76oftheCopyrightAct.56SeeminutesofmeetingwiththeParliamentarianMr.Hon.KwameAnyimadu-Antwi.HenotedinthisregardthatFolkloreandtraditionalknowledgebelongtotheState.Therefore,thelawsweremadeinawaytoreflectGhana’swill.HeaddedthatGhanadidn’twantthelawstobere-packagedbytheinternationalcommunity.Moreover,protectingKenteasfolkloremeansthattheproductiscollectivelyprotectedtotheinterestofthecommunity(“togetthebestoftheexploitationofthispartoftheworld”).


countrieshavealsoKentedesignsfortextile.57Accordingly,webelievethattheinternationalcommunitywill requestGhanatoaligntheseprovisionsoftheCopyrightActwiththe internationalstandardsusingTRIPSandFTAsasatoolofpressure.In Sierra Leone, the Copyright Act No. 8 dated October 6, 2011 is the legislation governing Copyrightprotection inadditiontotheTRIPSAgreementandotherrelatedtreaties.58TheLawcovers literaryandartistic works, related Rights, Traditional Cultural Expressions (or "expressions of folklore"), IPEnforcement,AlternativeDisputeResolutionandtheIPRegulatoryBody.TrademarksTrademarksareprotectedinGhanathroughtheTradeMarksActNo664dated29.1.2004asamendedbythe Trademarks Act No. 876 dated 24.4.2014. Trademarks protection is also provided throughinternationaltreatiesandagreementsrelatedtotrademarkstowhichGhanaisamember.The Act No 664 provides for the protection of trademarks and for relatedmatters while Act No. 876reconcilerenewalperiodsfortheregistrationoftrademarks,providefortheinternationalregistrationoftrademarks and for relatedpurposes.Undersection 1 of thisAct a “Trademark” is defined as a signorcombinationofsignscapableofdistinguishingthegoodsorservicesofoneundertakingfromthegoodsorservices of another undertaking. Itmay consist of (a)words, personal names, designs, letters, colours,numerals, shapes,holograms,soundsoracombinationofanyof theseelements,or (b) slogans,wheretheyarenotlongenoughtobeprotectedbycopyright.Collectiveandcertificationmarksaredefinedinsection2ofthisActasfollows:

(1) Acollectivemarkisasignofanassociationofmanufacturing,tradingorserviceenterprisethatserves to distinguish the goods or services of themembers of the association from those ofotherenterprises.

(2) A certification mark is a sign or combination of signs capable of designating any specificcharacteristic, including quality, origin or methods of production, material, mode ofmanufactureofgoodsorperformanceofservices.

(3) Anapplicationfortheregistrationofacertificationmarkshalla. Designatethesignasacertificationmark;andb. Beaccompaniedbytherulesgoverningitsuse.

(4) Subsection (3) applies to all certification marks, including certification marks owned bygovernmentagencies.”

It is importanttonotethat inadditiontousingandregisteringatrademarktoprotecttheirhandicraftsproducts, Ghanaian producers and artisansmay form associations or groups on the basis of commonqualitycharacteristicsorthecommonoriginoftheproducts.Eachgrouporassociationmaythenregisteracollectivemarktobeusedbyitsartisans.Thismayhelpthempromoteaunifiedqualityimageoftheirproducts,strengthentheirpresenceinthemarketandcooperateasoneentityinthemarketingoftheirbrandandenforcementoftheirrights.Thecollectivemarkcanbeassociatedwiththenameofthegroup

57SeeminutesofmeetingwithMrCarlAmpah,NationalProgramOfficer(Culture)fromUNESCO.58Seehttp://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=328521.


or its symbols.59Another formofprotection isbyacertificationmark thatentailsacertificationby theownerofthemarkthattheproductcomplieswithapre-establishedsetofrulesandstandardsgoverningitsuse.Seerecommendations,below,regardingAssociationBuilding.InSierraLeonetheTradeMarksACTNo.53datedOctober9,2014coverstheprotection,registrationandregulation of trademarks, trade names, and other related matters. Section 1 of the Act definestrademarksandcollectivemarksasfollows:

• “Trade mark” means any sign or combination of signs capable of distinguishing the goods orservices of one undertaking from the goods or services of other undertakings includingwordssuchaspersonalnames,letters,numeralsandfigurativeelements.

• “Collectivemark”means a visible sign capable of distinguishing, from the goods or services ofotherenterprisestheoriginoranyothercommoncharacteristicincludingthequalityofgoodsorservicesofdifferententerpriseswhichusethesignunderthecontrolofaregisteredowner.

TheLawlacksanyprotectionforcertificationmarks.IndustrialDesignsIndustrialDesignsareprotected inGhanaunder the IndustrialDesignsActNo660datedDecember31,2003. The law has been reviewed and a new draft law is waiting for the approval of the Council ofMinister before it is sent to Parliament for adoption. Protection for industrial designs is also availablethroughrelatedinternationaltreatiesandagreementstowhichGhanaisamember.60Handicraftsareconsideredasindustrialdesignsiftheyconformwiththedefinitionofsection1ofthisActasfollows:

(a)A compositionof linesor colours, any three-dimensional formor anymaterial,whetherornot associated with lines or colours is an industrial design where the composition, form ormaterial gives a special appearance to a product of industry or handicraft and can serve as apatternforaproductofindustryorhandicraft.,(b)Atextiledesignisanindustrialdesignwherethecomposition,formormaterialgivesaspecialappearance toaproductof industryorhandicraftandcan serveasapattern foraproductofindustryorhandicraft.

According tosection2an industrialdesigncanbe registered if it isnew.An industrialdesign isnewororiginalifitsignificantlydiffersfromknowndesignsorcombinationsofknowndesignfeatures.IndustrialDesignsinSierraLeoneareprotectedunderthePatentsandIndustrialDesignActNo.10datedOctober11,2012.

59Formoreinfo,see“MarketingCraftsandVisualArts:TheRoleofIntellectualProperty–Apracticalguide”,publishedjointlybytheInternationalTradeCentre(ITC)andtheWorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization(WIPO),pp46,82-83and129.60http://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/gh/gh016en.pdf


GeographicalIndicationsGeographicalIndicationsareprotectedinGhanathroughtheGeographicalIndicationsActNo659datedDecember31,2003.61Protection is alsoavailable through the International treatiesandagreements towhich Ghana is a member. The GIs law is being reviewed to bring it into compliance with the TRIPSAgreementandemergingtrendsandbestpracticesintheGIsfield.ItisimportanttonotethattheSwiss-Ghana Intellectual Property Rights Project62 is conducting a study on GIs which will help identify 3products(foodandhandicraftproducts)tobeprotectedasGIs.63Accordingtosection22oftheGIsAct“geographicalindicationmeansanindicationwhichidentifiesgoodasoriginatingintheterritoryofacountry,oraregionorlocalityinthatterritory,whereagivenquality,reputationorothercharacteristicofthegoodsisessentiallyattributabletoitsgeographicalorigin”.GIsisanessentialformofIPprotectionforhandicraftsas“theiraimistoprovideconsumerswithreliableinformation on the specifications and origin of goods, and prevent free-riding on their acquiredreputation.GIsalsohavetheparticularityofbeingnon-exclusive intellectualpropertyrights: theuseofthenameorthesignisaccessibletoallproducersfromthegivenareawhomanufacturedtheproductinthewayprescribed,whichisingenerallinkedtolongstandingtraditions”.64GIs may constitute an efficient protection for the Ghanaian Bolga baskets as they enjoy all thecharacteristics thatmake thema goodexample forGI as defined in the law. Thosebaskets havebeencopied and sold by the Vietnamese under the name “Bolga Baskets” which has harmed the Ghanaianbasketeconomyandthereputationoftheproductworldwide. IftheGIsprotectionisnotanoptionforthetimebeing,aprotectionwithcollectiveoracertificationmarkmayhelptoputanendtotheproblemtotheVietnamesecounterfeitbaskets.ItisinterestingtonotethatastheVietnamesebasketsweremadeofinferiorgrassesanddidnotlast,consumershaverecognizedthisdifferenceandhavereturnedtotheoriginalGhanaBolgabaskets,butnotwithoutsignificantharmtothesectorintheinterveningperiod.UnfairCompetitionUnfair competition is protected under the Protection Against Unfair Competition Act No 589 datedDecember 19, 200065 and the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. The Act listsexamplesofactions constitutingactsofunfair competition (sections1 to6), andcivil remediesagainstunfairactsofcompetition(section8).TheActspeciallycontainsprovisionsonactsofunfaircompetitioncloselyrelatedtointellectualproperty,suchas:

61http://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/gh/gh015en.pdf62TheSwiss-GhanaIntellectualPropertyRightsProjectispartofGhana’sTradePolicyReformsundertheTradeSectorSupportProgram.Formoreinfoseethehardcopyofthe“NationalIntellectualPropertyPolicyStrategy”(January2016),acopyofwhichwassubmittedtoATAG.63 For more info check the following link: https://www.ige.ch/en/legal-info/international-cooperation/country-specific-projects/ghana.html.64Seehttp://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-486_en.htm?locale=en65Seehttp://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=157035


• Causing confusion to the goods and services of the competitor with respect to a trademark,whetherregisteredornot,atradename,presentationofaproductorservice,appearanceofaproduct(section1);

• Dilutionofgoodwillorreputationofthecompetitor(section2);• Misleading the public as to the nature, manufacturing process, quality, characteristics,

geographicaloriginofthegoodsorservices,andthesuitabilityfortheirpurpose(section3);• Discreditingthegoods,ortheindustrialorcommercialactivitiesofthecompetitor(section4);• Disclosure of secret information that results from industrial or commercial espionage (section

5(2)(a)).66Legislationrelatedtotheprotectionof

handicraftsExistingLegislationinGhana ExistingLegislationinSierra

Leone EULegislation

Copyright - The Copyright Act No 690datedJune3,2005.

-Copyright (Amendment)ActNo Act 788 dated December31,2009.

- Implementing CopyrightRegulationNoL.I.1962datedFebruary15,2010.

Copyright Act No. 8 datedOctober6,2011.

- Directive on rental rightand lending right and oncertain rights related tocopyright in the field ofintellectualproperty("Rental andLending Directive"), 12December2006

- Directiveon the resaleright for the benefit of theauthor of an original workof art ("Resale RightDirective"), 27 September2001

- Directive on theenforcement of intellectualproperty right(“IPRED”), 29April2004

- Directiveon the term ofprotection of copyright andcertain related rightsamending the previous2006 Directive (“TermDirective”),27 September2011

Trademarks Trademarks Act No. 876dated 24.4.2014 amendingthe TradeMarks Act No 664dated29.1.2004

The TRADE MARKS ACT,2014, Supplement to theSierra Leone Gazette Vol.CXLV, No. 53 dated 9thOctober,2014

- Directive (EU) 2015/2436of the European Parliamentand of the Council of 16December 2015 toapproximatethelawsoftheMember States relating totrademark.

- Directive 2008/95/EC on

66Seehttp://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=1782


the approximation of thelaws relating to trademarks.

-Regulation(EU)2015/2424of the European Parliamentand of the Council of 16December 2015 amendingCouncil Regulation (EC) No207/2009 on theCommunity trademark andCommissionRegulation (EC)No 2868/95 implementingCouncil Regulation (EC) No40/94 on the Communitytrade mark, and repealingCommissionRegulation (EC)No 2869/95 on the feespayable to the Office forHarmonization in theInternal Market (TradeMarksandDesigns).

- Commission Regulation(EC) No 2868/95 of 13December 1995implementing CouncilRegulation(EC)No40/94ontheCommunitytrademark.

-CouncilRegulation(EC)No207/2009 of 26 February2009 on the CommunityTradeMark

Industrialdesigns IndustrialDesignsActNo660datedDecember31,2003.

The law has been reviewedandanewdraftlawiswaitingfor the approval of theCouncilofMinisterbeforeitissent to Parliament foradoption.

Patents and IndustrialDesign Act No. 10 datedOctober11,2012.

- Directive 98/71/EC on thelegalprotectionofdesigns.

-CouncilRegulation(EC)No6/2002 of 12 December2001 on Communitydesigns.

GeographicalIndications

Geographical Indications ActNo 659 dated December 31,2003.

-CouncilRegulation(EC)No1898/2006 modified byCouncil Regulation (EC) No628/2008

-CouncilRegulation(EC)No510/2006on theprotectionof geographical indicationsand designations of originfor agricultural productsandfoodstuffs.

CollectiveMarks Trademarks Act No. 876 The TRADE MARKS ACT, - Directive (EU) 2015/2436


dated 24.4.2014 amendingthe TradeMarks Act No 664dated29.1.2004

2014, Supplement to theSierra Leone Gazette Vol.CXLV, No. 53 dated 9thOctober,2014

of the European Parliamentand of the Council of 16December 2015 toapproximatethelawsoftheMember States relating totrademark.

-Regulation(EU)2015/2424oftheEuropeanParliament.

Certificationmarks Trademarks Act No. 876dated 24.4.2014 amendingthe TradeMarks Act No 664dated29.1.2004

N/A - Directive (EU) 2015/2436of the European Parliamentand of the Council of 16December 2015 toapproximatethelawsoftheMember States relating totrademark.

-Regulation(EU)2015/2424oftheEuropeanParliament.

UnfairCompetition Protection Against UnfairCompetition Act No 589datedDecember19,2000.

N/A “Unfair CommercialPractices Directive”:Directive2005/29/ECofTheEuropeanParliamentandofTheCouncilof11May2005concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercialpractices in the internalmarket and amendingCouncil Directive84/450/EEC, Directives97/7/EC, 98/27/EC and2002/65 /EC of theEuropeanParliamentandofthe Council and Regulation(EC) No 2006/2004 of theEuropeanParliamentandoftheCouncil.

Tradesecrets InformationandTradeSecretAct (being reviewed forcompliancewithTRIPS)

N/A Directive (Eu) 2016/943 OfThe European ParliamentAnd Of The Council of 8June2016ontheprotectionof undisclosed know-howand business information(trade secrets) against theirunlawful acquisition, useanddisclosure

OtherLegislationIt is to be noted that no legislation has been provided or found on themuseum licenses/permits forexportsofhandicrafts.HowevertherepresentativesoftheMuseumBoardinGhananotedthatWorksofartsaresubjecttoanexportpermit.ThispermissionpermitisrequiredbytheUNESCO“ConventionontheMeansofProhibitingandPreventingtheIllicitImport,ExportandTransferofOwnershipofCultural


Property”andallowstheworktoenteranycountrymemberofthesaidConvention.Itcertifiesthattheproduct has gone through thenormal process. They added that there exist 2 formsof permit: (1) forAntiqueobjectsand(2)fornon-antiqueobjects.Handicraftsfallunderthesecondcategory.Thepermitis issuedelectronicallyafterthepaymentoffeescharge.Onthedefinitionofhandicrafts, itwasnotedthat traditional handicrafts are those made before 900 years. Handicrafts in general are those notmachinemadeproducts.Howevertheproductshouldnotbe100%handmadetobeeligibleforpermit.On standards, it was noted that Museum standards are related to cultural heritage. The handicraftproduct should not contain any hazardous element and it should not bemade of the skin of certainanimals.InSierraLeone,acopyoftheMonumentsandRelicsCommissionActwasprovided.Howeveritdidnotinclude the required information. Ms Kargbo (Acting Curator at the National Museum) noted thataccording to the UNESCO “Convention on theMeans of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import,ExportandTransferofOwnershipofCulturalProperty”towhichSLisamember,nationalmuseumsarerequiredtocontroltheartsandcraftsforexportandissueexportpermitstothiseffect.Sheaddedthattraditional handicrafts are not allowed to leave the country. She also mentioned that the museummanagement issued an internal regulation/decision that forbids the export of unique SL designs thatconstitutemasterpieces.However,suchdecisionwasneverenforced.FreeTradeAgreementswiththeEUNegotiations for a regional Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between West Africa and theEuropeanUnionwereconcludedin2014withtheinitiallingofanagreedtextbyChiefNegotiators.TheEPA was negotiated under a West Africa regional configuration comprised of the fifteen ECOWASmembersStatesplusMauritania.Todate,13outof16WestAfricanStateshavesignedtheAgreement.OnlyTheGambia,NigeriaandMauritaniahavenotyetsigned.Theregionalagreementcoverstrade ingoodsanddevelopment-cooperation.Itcontainsrendez-vousclausesforfuturenegotiationsontradeinservicesandothertrade-relatedissues.Thesignatureandratificationprocessarecurrentlyongoing.EPAprovidesduty-freeaccesstotheEUmarketforanunlimitedperiodforallimportsoriginatinginGhana.Inreturn,GhanaandotherWestAfricancountriesincludingSierraLeonepartiallyliberalizetheirimportsfromtheEUoveraperiodupto20years.67An"interimEPA"68wasnegotiatedbetweenGhanaandtheEU in 2007 as a steppingstone towards the regional agreement. In the absence of any EPA, the EU'sstandardschemefordevelopingcountries(GSP)wouldapply69

3.3ProductSpecificsandMarketRealities

Thetwoproductcategoriesthatwillbecloselyexaminedforthisprojectarewooddécorandbasketry.BothcategoriesarestrongmarketpossibilitiesforbothGhanaandSierraLeone.

67http://www.epa.ecowas.int/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/EPA.-May-2016.pdf68http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52008PC044169Seehttps://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/files/epa-ghana-brochurejune2016.pdf.


3.3.B.WoodDécorProducts

BothGhanaandSierraLeonearecountrieswith largeforestsandwoodavailability. Inordertoattractand sustain market interest producers must appeal to current design trends while also adhering toincreasinglydemandingenvironmental regulations. This isparticularly important for thewoodsector.Wooddécorindicateshomeaccessoriesthatcouldrangefromsmallitemslikecuttingboardsandmirrorframestolargeritemssuchassidetablesandaccessoryseating.

Ghana producers have decades of experience in producing wood home décor items and numerousworkshopsarewellequippedwithsemi-industrialproductionequipment.Theseproducersarecognizantofhowtopackproducts,loadcontainers,seasonanddrywood,andavarietyoffinishes.

SierraLeone’sproducersaremainlycarvers,thoughthereissomeknowledgeoffurniturefabrication.

TheEuropeanconsumerprofileasoutlinedbyCBIresearch70indicatesthatEuropeisamaturemarketand consumers are looking for innovativedesign andproducts that aredifferent fromwhat has beenseen in thepast,and leantowardsnaturalmaterialswithan interest in localcraftsmanship.Germany,France and the Netherlands exhibit the highest per capita spending followed by the Scandinaviancountries. This study says European consumers are opting for higher-end individualistic furnitureproducts rather thanmass-produced, whenever possible. Germany, Italy and Sweden are themajormanufacturers of wooden furniture in Europe, and they are also importers, with 38%, 24% and 26%respectivelyofwoodenfurnitureimportscomingfromdevelopingcountries.

“Afteradip in2013,European importsof small furnitureareexperiencingastrongrecover,especiallywithregardtoimportsfromdevelopingcountries...IN2014EuropeanimportsintheHomeDecorationandHomeTextilessectoramountedto€12billion...furnitureaccountsfor21%.”71ThisreportstatesthatGermany, theUKand Franceoffer the greatest potential for importsof accessory furniture fromdevelopingcountries.

Thesefindingsclearlyindicatethataccessoryfurnitureandwoodenhomedécorisaverystrongcategory

70https://www.cbi.eu/sites/default/files/product-factsheet-south-africa-wooden-furniture-2016.pdf71https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/stools-occasional-tables/europe/

3.3.A.MarketMap

ReceivingCustom

Agent(EU)EUFreightForwarder

TransportertoBuyer

Wholesalebuyer RetailShop End

Consumer

Rawmaterialscollector/vendor

TransportertoCraftCompany

CraftCompany

TransportertoPort

FreightForwarder

CustomsAgent Shipper

In Africa

In EU


forGhanaianandSierraLeoneanproducerstoexplore.

3.3.B.aStandardsfortheWoodSector

The Ghana Standards Board is a certified standards testing facility with international recognition.Exporters should advise their clients that it is a reputable testing institution for the tests that areavailable.ThiscouldsavethecostofshippingsamplestobetestedinEurope.Howevertheydonothavethefacilitiestostresstestfurniture.

For the wood sector it is important that surface coatings are lead and cadmium free. The EU alsorestricts the use of arsenic and creosotes as wood preservatives. In some cases buyers will wantaccessoryfurniturestresstested.

The General Product Safety Directive (GPSD)72 outlines general EU safety requirements that are notspecifiedelsewhere.REACH73regulateschemicalsubstances.

For the wood sector environmental compliance is one of the most important issues of which allexportersmust be aware and comply. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species(CITES)74 develops the regulations on international trade of endangered wood species. This isparticularly important for thewoodhandicrafts sector.Onlywood that is allowedunderCITES canbeexported,andonlyaspertheregulationsestablishedthereinandwithotherEUspecificregulations.TheFLEGT Action Plan75 controls the importing ofwood into countries that have a Voluntary PartnershipAgreementwith the European Union. For example certain types of woodmust have a FLEGT licenceindicatingthatithasbeenlegallyharvestedbeforeitcanbeexportedtoEurope.

Drying wood has been an on-going issue and fortunately there are handicraft wood productioncompaniesinGhanawhohaveinitiatedwooddryingfacilitiesintheirworkshops.Howeverthisisstillnotthegeneralpractice.Thoughdryingwood isnota legalor regulatory issue,wood that isnotproperlydriedcanhavegraveconsequencesforproducers.Productswillsplitandcrackwhenexposedtootherclimatesorwillcollectmouldwhilebeingshipped.EUbuyerswhoexperiencetheseissueswilllikelynotreorder.

3.3.B.bCertification

For thewoodsector therewillbecertifications forwood throughFLEGT.GustavAdu,Ghanaianwoodcertification and legality expert, said that the wood assurance system in Ghana, which is theimplementationarmofthelaw,wouldbefinalizedsoon.Thesystemwilldefinestandards,methodsforverification, and the monitoring methodologies. Once finalized it will be validated by the TimberValidation Department (TVD) of the Forestry Commission. The Timber Industry Development Division(TIDD) will issue FLEGT licences. These licences will be procured mainly from actors in the timberindustry. Products and artefacts that need to procure licences are listed in the agreement. Thosenotlistedarenotunderobligationtoobtainlicences.

72http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumers_safety/product_safety_legislation/general_product_safety_directive/index_en.htm73http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/chemicals/reach/74https://www.cites.org75http://www.euflegt.efi.int/home


Itisimportanttonote,though,thatassustainabilityisastrongmarkettrend76formanyEUprofessionalbuyersandconsumers,showingenvironmentalcompliancewhetherrequiredornot,couldbeavalue-addedsellingpointwhenmarketingwoodproductstotheEUmarket.ThisisparticularlyusefulforSierraLeonean companies, as Sierra Leone does not have a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA). ThismeansthattheirwoodproductsarenotunderthesameregulationsasGhana.But,asstatedabove, itwouldbemostwiseiftheyfollowedthesameCITESguidelinesinordertomeetEuropeansustainabilitytrendsandeco-consciousnessofEuropeanconsumers.

FairTradecertificationisimportantforhandicraftproducersaswellasbuyers.WhieFairTradehasbeena greater force in agricultural sectors it does have a strong and positive marketing component forartisanalproducersandtheirEuropeanclients.Incommoditysectors,suchascoffeeandchocolate,itiseasierandlesscostlyforcommodityorganizationstogetfairtradecertification.ItisverycostlyforSMEsto individually attain World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) certification. As the handicraft sector iswidely diversified it has been difficult to develop a cohesive multi-country, multi-discipline tradeorganizationthatcouldsinglyapplyforWFTOcertification.

ManyinternationalFairTradehandicraftbuyersoperateonanhonoursystem,meaningthattheyreviewthecompaniesfromwhomtheyarebuyingandattesttotheirfairtradepracticesthoughtheyarenotactuallycertified.

3.3.C.BasketryandGrassPlaitingProducts

BothGhanaandSierraLeonehavestrongbasketandwoven/plaitedgrasstraditions.Ghanahasdecadesof experience exporting baskets,many containers a year. Though Sierra Leone does not have strongexport experience, its basket sector has enormousuntapped potential. Because of the variety of grassesused in the Sierra Leone basketry sector, it has thepotentialtoproducefashionaccessoriesaswellashomedécor,suchasshoes,beltsandjewellery.Thisexpandedproduct rangewill set the Sierra Leonebasketry sectorapartandhelpestablishitsspecialidentity.

Ingeneral,basketsandbasketryareagoodcategoryfortheEUmarket.TheyfitinwiththeEUconsumerinterestinnaturalproducts/fibresandsustainability. Inadditionthey are useful and decorative, used both indoors andoutdoors,andtheydoeventuallywearoutwhichresultsinrepeatpurchases.

76https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/trend-special/sustainability/

MichelleObamawitha“BolgaBasket”

fromGhana


It isessentialforbasketproducerstonotethatmanystoragebasketsare used for gift baskets that hold food items. In this case it is veryimportant that there are no prohibited chemicals in any surfacetreatment, as inwood products (above). It is wise for producers toavoid using these chemicals in all their products77. Any surfacetreatment,be itpaint,dyes, varnishor cleaning fluids shouldcomplywithchemicalstandardsasforwood. Ahiddenproblemforbasketryproducers is that any metal elements, such as closures or rivetsprobablycontainleadandwillresultinlostsalesduetoevenonerivetwithlead.ThereisanotherclassificationofdyesthatarerestrictedintheEU,azodyes.78

InGhanadyescontainingleadand/orcadmiumhavebeenanon-goingchallengeinthebasketindustry.There has been considerable effort by basket exporters to resolve this issue, though at present itappearsthatitisstillachallenge.Iftherewasanassociationofbasketproducerswhocouldasagroupbuy quality dyes in quantity this could be one possible avenue to resolution (see recommendationsbelow,AssociationBuilding).Itshouldbenotedthatbuyersaretestingbasketsforchemicals.

Asforthewoodsector,theexportingcompanymustknowthescientificnameforthegrassesusedandiftheyare includedontheCITES listofendangeredspecies.Mostgenerallygrassesusedforbasketsarenotendangered,butitisalwayswisetocheck.

3.3.C.aEUTrends

Storage containers are a trend in the EU market because many consumers live in smaller urbanapartment environments where maximizing space is a primary concern. This coupled with thesustainability and natural fibres trends in Europe make basketry a solid product category forconsumption.Additionally,EUconsumersappreciatethestoriesofthebasketmakerswhoinlargepart

77http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2013/may/tradoc_151257.pdf78https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/buyer-requirements/#what-requirements-must-my-product-comply-with?

BasketryMarketCategories

HomeDécor FashionAccessories

Storage Bags

Decorative Shoes

Carry-Alls Belts

Other(mats,frames,etc)Other(jewellery,hairaccessories,etc.)

PossiblyLead


areproducing intheirvillagesandgainingmuchneededincomeusingskills indigenoustotheirregion.Also,“handmade”addsvalueandAfricanbasketsresonatewiththeEUconsumeras100%handmade.79Finallybasketsingeneralarereasonablypricedwhileaddinginspirationtodécor.

Another trend in the EU is garden, both indoor gardenelements aswell as outdoors.80 Basketry andgardens have always been linked and garden basketry can includemats and hammocks, a developedspecialtyofSierraLeoneproducers.GardenfurnitureisacategoryyettobeexploitedinGhanaorSierraLeone.Wicker,bambooandseagrass furniture isproduced inmanypartsof theglobe.This indicatesthatitisacompetitivemarketbutalsoapopularone.Withtherightdesigninputsbothcountriesmayhavemarketopportunitiesinthiscategory.

Moroccohasbeenabletocaptureagoodpartofthemarketwithwovenfootwear,whichhasbecomeaglobal trend, particularly for poolside and resort-wear market segments. Woven raffia jewellery isanotheremergingtrend.SierraLeonehasboththerawmaterialsandtheexpertisetocapitalizeonthesetrendsthatarecurrentlyunder-supplied.

4. RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1Cost/BenefitQuotientItisimportantthatcompaniesandorganizationsstudythecost/benefitratiowhendecidingwhethertoembarkonregisteringproductsordesigns.Moreoftenthannot,thelackofappealtomarketshasmuchlesstodowithprotectionthanwiththeresponsetoactualmarkettrends.Thereforeitwouldbemostwiseforcompaniesorotherhandicraftstakeholderstodetermineifthecostofprotectionwillactuallyincreasemarketabilitythroughdefeatingcompetition.An example is the Malian traditional Bogolan cloth, generically called “mudcloth.” Bogolan wasbecomingalostartinMali,withinsignificantsalesproducersmovedintoothereconomicactivity.ThenBogolandesignsstartedbeingindustriallyprintedonboltfabricatahighlyreducedcostandsoldbothinAfricaandacross theglobe.Rather than reduce theappealofauthenticBogolan, it actually increased

79https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/storage/80https://www.cbi.eu/sites/default/files/study/product-factsheet-garden-europe-home-decoration-textiles-2014.pdf


interest intheauthenticcloth.TheBogolanaestheticgainedstrongappeal inthe internationalmarketandthoughconsumerscontinuedtopurchasethe lessexpensivereproduction, theybeganclamouringfortheauthentictextile,andsalessoared.TheindustrialreproductionallowedtheBogolanpatternstoentermainstreamaestheticconsciousness,profoundlyraisingawarenessandinterestintheauthentic.Thisexampleillustratesthatstrictprotectionisnotalwaysthebestavenuetosectorandmarketgrowth.Anotherpointinthisregardisthatexpensive,hand-madetraditionalartpiecesaremoreexpensiveandover-protectioncanpossiblyleadtotheirdecline,capturingonlyatinysliverofthemarket.On the other hand, the example of the Vietnamese forgery ofGhanaian Bolga Baskets is an examplewhere protection could have reduced the risk for Ghanaian producers. There is no simple answer tothesequestionsandeachcaseshouldbeanalysedastothecost/benefitratio.4.2BrandingAnother approach to protection is to develop a strong branding campaign. Branding the sector, orcertain categories in the sector, could “protect” – through brand awareness – authenticity, origin,tradition,design,andculturalidentity.AdditionallyastrongBrandcanestablishaninternationalmarketawareness and identity that inherently builds market access. Therefore, this approach has a two-prongedbenefit,protectingessentialculturalandproduct identitywhilepro-activelybuildingmarkets.OncetheBrandisbuilt,itcanbethepre-requisitetoseekinglegalprotection,ifdeemednecessary.Ofcourse, branding is not “protection” from a legal perspective, though it couldmakemarket-sense topursuethiscommercialapproach.A serious branding campaign that will have international recognition will require engaging an expertbranding specialist, but before doing so it would bemost advantageous to havemarket-driven well-designedproductcollectionsandknowledgeableexportersastherealfoundationforbrandidentity.Thisactivity must also be examined for a cost/benefit ratio. Considering that a brand can cover manysubsectors, producers, product categories, countries, and be continually expanding, it can spread thecost out over a larger beneficiary base. Most effective for brand development would be theestablishmentofasectorassociation,seebelow.4.3HandicraftsProtectionAsstatedaboveonpage28,artisanscanformgroupsorassociationstoregisteracollectivemark,iftheyhave a common origin or characteristics. The collective mark can be a symbol or special identitysignification.Acertificationmarkentailsacertificationbytheownerofthemarkthattheproductcomplieswiththepre-establishedsetofrulesandstandardsgoverningitsuse.Thiscouldapplytothebasketryhomedécorproducts.Aprotectionwithgeographical indicationfortheBolgabaskets isalsoanoptionasthereputationandothercharacteristicoftheproductareessentiallyattributabletotheirgeographicalorigin.


4.4AssociationBuildingAhandicraftsectorbusinessassociationcouldbethevehicletoaddressmanyoftheconcernsraisedinthisreport.ItisopportuneforWestAfricathatATAGhashaddecadesofexperiencebuildingthesectorinGhana.ItisnotinthescopeofthisprojecttoputforwardadetailedstudyontheprospectsofapanWest African business association, but this study is something that could be undertaken in the nearfuture,withtheviewofATAGleadingtheinitiative.Belowarepossiblebenefitsofanassociationgleanedfromthiscurrentstudy:

• Awell-organizedbrandingcampaign,see4.2,above• Registeringcollectivemarks,seepg.28Trademarks,above• Applyingforhandicraftprotection,certificationmarks,etc.• AttainFairTradeorothercertificationasagroup• Capacitytopurchaserawmaterialsinvolumecollectively• Developingcollectivemarketlinkageactivities• Accessingdonorfundsfortheentireregionorassociation• Capacitytoorganizerelevanttrainingsandconferencesformembers• Linkingwithsimilarassociationsacrosstheglobe


Annex1:References

References

CREATIVEINDUSTRIES-GENERAL

http://www.intracen.org/itc/sectors/creative-industries/

http://www.intracen.org/itc/sectors/creative-industries/market-surveys/

http://ssc.undp.org/content/ssc/news/articles/2013/widening_local_development_pathways.html

http://academy.ssc.undp.org/GSSDAcademy/Upload/CER13_Report_web_optimized.pdf

https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/handicrafts-sector-bucks-overall-export-trend/article4610119.ece

http://www.ibef.org/exports/handicrafts-industry-india.aspx

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=7985&lang=en&title=Creative-industries-trigger-innovation-spill-overs-in-other-industries

http://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-data/

https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/trade-statistics-decoration/

http://www.trademap.org/Index.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

CASESTUDIESFORHANDICRAFTS

http://www.laoftpd.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=251%3Acase-study-for-handicraft&catid=154%3Acase-study-for-handicraft&Itemid=286&lang=en

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2660764

http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pnadn210.pdf

http://www.uis.unesco.org/culture/Documents/nigeria-pilot-research-impact-study-culture-industries-2009.pdf

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.517.4177&rep=rep1&type=pdf

http://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/tk/768/wipo_pub_768.pdf

http://www.toiiho.co.nz/




INTELLECTUALPROPERTY

http://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_tk_5.pdf

http://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/intproperty/itc_p159/wipo_pub_itc_p159.pdf

GeographicalIndicationsforNon-AgriculturalProducts

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52014DC0469&from=EN

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/intellectual-property/geographical-indications/non-agricultural-products/index_en.htm

https://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/intellectual-property/geographical-indications/non-agricultural-products_en


https://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/27-trips_04b_e.htm

http://www.ab.gov.tr/files/ardb/evt/1_avrupa_birligi/1_6_raporlar/1_2_green_papers/com2014_green_paper_nonagricultural_products.pdf

ProtectionofTraditionalCulturalExpression(folklore)


IPConventions

http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/text.jsp?file_id=288514

ModelLaws

http://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/tk/en/folklore/1982-folklore-model-provisions.pdf

FREETRADEAGREEMENTS

http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2013/may/tradoc_151186.pdf

http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2009/june/tradoc_143814.pdf

http://www.epa.ecowas.int/pageevents/news/

https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/files/epa-ghana-brochurejune2016.pdf

http://www.epa.ecowas.int/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/EPA.-May-2016.pdf

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52008PC0441


LAWSANDREGULATIONS

EULaws

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/eu-copyright-legislation

https://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/intellectual-property/industrial-design/protection_en

https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/

https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/eu-trade-mark-legal-texts

http://www.inta.org/TrademarkBasics/Documents/EUTMR%20COMPLETE.pdf

https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/international-treaties

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/browse/directories/inter-agree.html

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:149:0022:0039:EN:PDF

https://qmjip.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/eu-collective-and-certification-marks-after-the-trade-mark-reform/#_ftn7

GhanaLaws

http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/profile.jsp?code=gh

http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=157035

http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=223003

http://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/gh/gh016en.pdf

SierraLeoneLaws

http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/profile.jsp?code=sl

http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=14551

http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=14529

TBT

http://www.oecd.org/tad/ntm/technicalbarrierstotrade.htm

https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/goods/building-blocks/conformity-assessment_en

http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards.htm

http://www.cencenelec.eu/standards/DefEN/Pages/default.aspx

https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/goods/building-blocks/conformity-assessment_en

UNESCOCONVENTIONS

http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13637&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html





http://www.unidroit.org/instruments/cultural-property/1995-convention

EUMARKETTRENDS

https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/trends/

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/fashion_en

https://www.cbi.eu/sites/default/files/study/scenarios-europe-home-decoration-textiles-2012.pdf

https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/trend-special/sustainability/

https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/sustainable-design/

https://www.cbi.eu/sites/default/files/trends-europe-home-decorations-textiles-2015.pdf

https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/stools-occasional-tables/europe/

http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2008/04/article_0007.html

WOODDECOR

https://www.cbi.eu/sites/default/files/product-factsheet-south-africa-wooden-furniture-2016.pdf

http://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProductCountry_TS.aspx

https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/timber-products/buyer-requirements/

https://www.cbi.eu/sites/default/files/product-factsheet-europe-stools-occasional-tables-2015.pdf

http://www.vansa.co.za/research/kaiser-kea-fact-sheet-a5.pdf

http://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProduct_TS.aspx?nvpm=1%7C%7C42%7C%7C%7C940360%7C%7C%7C6%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C2%7C1%7C3%7C1%7C

http://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProduct_TS.aspx?nvpm=1%7C%7C42%7C%7C%7C940360%7C%7C%7C6%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C2%7C1%7C3%7C1%7C1

http://www.euflegt.efi.int/home

http://checklist.cites.org/#/en

http://industries.ul.com/furniture-and-bedding/household-furniture/household-furniture-performance-and-durability-testing

http://industries.ul.com/blog/new-european-furniture-standards-published

http://industries.ul.com/blog/ul-expands-ul-mark-for-furniture-and-bedding-to-europe


https://www.fira.co.uk/commercial-services/testing/chair-and-seating-testing

http://www.tuv.com/en/corporate/business_customers/product_testing_3/home_garden_2/furniture_2/furniture.html

https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/wooden-trays/europe/

BASKETRY

http://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProduct_Graph.aspx?nvpm=1%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C4602%7C%7C%7C4%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C2%7C1%7C

https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/storage/

https://www.cbi.eu/sites/default/files/study/product-factsheet-garden-europe-home-decoration-textiles-2014.pdf

STANDARDSANDCERTIFICATIONS

http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/sectors-ghana/business/standards_and_regulation/

http://search.standardsmap.org/assets/media/BusinessSocialComplianceInitiativeCodeofConduct/English/AtAGlance_EN.pdf

http://www.standardsmap.org

http://www.standardsmap.org/identify

http://www.cencenelec.eu/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.cencenelec.eu/news/publications/publications/cen-cenelec-wp2016_en.pdf

https://standards.cen.eu/dyn/www/f?p=CENWEB:105::RESET

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumers_safety/product_safety_legislation/general_product_safety_directive/index_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumers_safety/product_safety_legislation/standards/index_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/chemicals/reach/

http://wfto.com

https://www.cbi.eu/About%20CBI/subweb/fairtrade-s-finest-programme/294517/

http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2013/may/tradoc_151257.pdf

https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/home-decoration-textiles/buyer-requirements/

BRANDING

http://brandsierraleone.tv


MadeInGhanaBrand:

http://www.ghanatrade.gov.gh/Made-In-Ghana/made-in-ghana-campaign-government-increases-support-to-local-manufacturing-sector.html

http://www.ghanatrade.gov.gh/images/products/laws/MIG%20Brand%20Manual%20_%20A4.pdf