Some of the UB Staff members were recognised as the inaugural global cohort of the WIPO-KIPO-CIPA IP Meister Programme. Photo: Emmanuel Berrod.
Gaborone, Botswana 6th May 2026 – A group of staff members from the University of Botswana (UB) has graduated as part of the world’s first cohort of the Intellectual Property (IP) Meister Training Programme, a landmark initiative aimed at strengthening the commercialisation of research and innovation.
The programme, administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in partnership with the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) in Botswana and the Ministry of Intellectual Property of the Republic of Korea, is designed to bridge the gap between research outputs and their practical, market-ready applications.
CIPA Registrar, Mr Timothy Moalusi, described the initiative as a critical step towards transforming Botswana from a mineral-based to a knowledge-based economy, noting that strengthening intellectual property management was key to unlocking the value of local innovations.
Launched in February 2025, the programme was delivered in three phases to align with Botswana’s innovation ecosystem. The first phase focused on foundational training, bringing together 40 researchers, innovators and ecosystem stakeholders from various institutions across the country.
Participants were introduced to core principles of intellectual property, drawing on global case studies and practical industry experiences.
The second phase involved a competitive selection process led by WIPO, targeting participants whose projects demonstrated strong potential to address local challenges. Four projects led by UB staff members were selected, underscoring the University’s growing research impact and innovation capacity.
The selected participants included Professor Adamu Murtala Zungeru from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Mr Tebogo Ketshabile from the UB-Unipod Technology Transfer Section, Dr Brendah Keitumetse Masisi from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Dr Kabo Ronald Wale from the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences.
Over four months, they received intensive training and mentorship from WIPO patent experts, focusing on patent specification drafting and intellectual property strategy.
The projects, rooted in engineering, health sciences and biological research, are expected to contribute to the development of UB’s intellectual property portfolio. Thus, positioning the University’s research outputs as valuable intangible assets with the potential to attract investment and drive innovation-led growth.
The final phase culminated in a graduation ceremony held on the 29th of April 2026 at WIPO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, where participants were recognised as the inaugural global cohort of the WIPO-KIPO-CIPA IP Meister Programme.
They were joined by peers from the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) and Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN), reflecting a collaborative national effort to strengthen Botswana’s innovation ecosystem.
The projects developed through the programme have strong potential for patenting, with support from CIPA’s patent examination division. Mr Quality Ketjimambo, a local patent expert, is expected to play a key role in guiding the patenting process to ensure that promising innovations are protected, developed and brought to market.
