Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr. John Asein has endorsed the South East Creative Economy Summit billed to hold in Umuahia, Abia State from 19th to 20th November, 2024.
Dr. Asein gave the endorsement when the Summit Coordinator and CEO of Ojemba Media and Entertainment Limited, Mr. Victor Nwokocha paid him a courtesy visit at the NCC Head Office, Abuja on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
According to the DG, “The NCC is committed to supporting initiatives that align with the objectives of the Commission to confront ignorance in intellectual property matters, particularly copyright, and deepen public understanding as we continue to merge advocacy with action. This is the Commission’s approach to protecting creativity and boosting productivity of our creative economy. Our evaluation of the South East Creative Economy Summit reveals its potentials to promote the foregoing objectives and in our openness to building alliances with private sector institutions that show considerable capacity to help consolidate some of the milestones we have recorded, I am delighted, on behalf of the Commission, to endorse the Summit.”
The DG however advised, on a cautionary note, that the Summit must be driven only in the context of advancing the larger national agenda consistent with the Federal Government’s disposition towards strengthening regional economies as foundations for a stronger nation in macroeconomics terms.
Addressing the Director-General earlier, Mr. Nwokocha said that the Summit, themed ‘Intellectual Property, Entertainment Technology and Wealth Creation: Imperatives for Enhancing the South East Creative Economy’ was informed by the exigent need for applied knowledge at the grassroots to strengthen the capacity of creative industry practitioners in the South East, incorporating the full spectrum of the region’s creative economy. He explained that the Summit, which is bringing renowned experts as facilitators, is focused not only on creative industry practitioners but also commercial users of copyright content, to enlighten them on the imperatives of intellectual property rights protection as a cornerstone for economic growth.
While commending the bold initiatives of the NCC in confronting piracy and other forms of copyright abuse in the country, ensuring swift online registration of copyright, publishing of ‘Copyright Matters’ newsletter, and raising new IP ambassadors through innovative programs like the ‘WeWin IP’, Mr Nwokocha informed that the historic Summit, first of its kind in the South East, shall seek ways to enhance the organizational structure of the South East Creative Industry and evolve data-based blueprint to aid planning, investment, regulation and performance audit following statutory protocols at the national and sub-national levels.
Expressing gratitude to the Director-General for endorsing the Summit, Mr. Nwokocha stressed that the Summit is pan-Nigeria in scope and outlook, emphasizing that it is devised to further explore mechanisms for efficient private sector collaborations towards more extensive enforcement of Nigerian Copyright Laws, and a wider deployment of specific intellectual property instruments to boost economic growth.
Present at the meeting were senior management staff of the Commission, including the Director, Policy, Research and Statistics, Mr. Collins Nweke; Director, Public Affairs, Mrs. Ijeoma Egbunike; Principal Copyright Officer, Mr. Amos Abutu and few others.
