Geneva, Switzerland — Thursday, 14 May 2026 -Sierra Leone’s Administrator and Registrar General, Ms. Martina Baindu Egbenda, has earned international recognition for her dynamic leadership in advancing intellectual property (IP) reform and gender-inclusive innovation. Her strong showing at the 2026 Women and IP Symposium for IP Offices, held in Geneva from 11–13 May, underscored Sierra Leone’s growing voice in global IP governance.
Organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) under its Gender Action Plan, the symposium convened member states to accelerate women’s participation in IP systems worldwide.
Ms. Egbenda’s contributions reflected Sierra Leone’s broader reform agenda under President Julius Maada Bio, particularly the landmark Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act 2022. The legislation has propelled women into leadership, with more than 30 percent of parliamentary seats and senior government positions now held by women.
The Geneva forum tackled pressing themes: strengthening sex-disaggregated data in IP and innovation, designing inclusive policy frameworks for women entrepreneurs, expanding IP education for girls, empowering women in AI and the digital economy, and building public–private partnerships for inclusive innovation ecosystems.
In bilateral talks with the Director of the WIPO Academy, Ms. Egbenda explored strategic partnerships to bolster Sierra Leone’s IP office and advance reforms that position intellectual property as a driver of sustainable economic growth.
Addressing delegates, she urged WIPO to provide practical tools for member states:
“I believe WIPO can help by offering legal and administrative templates such as fast-track procedures for women-led applications, model IP clauses that support women entrepreneurs, and guidelines for gender-responsive IP offices,” she said.
She further called for IP to be embedded in national gender strategies, STEM education, and entrepreneurship programmes, stressing that intellectual property must be seen as a mainstream development tool, not a niche legal matter.
Recent reforms at home highlight Sierra Leone’s determination to modernise its IP landscape. Initiatives include plans to establish a Collective Management Organisation to strengthen copyright administration and the launch of Intellectual Property School Clubs during World IP Day, aimed at building grassroots awareness of IP rights.
Ms. Egbenda’s active engagement in Geneva is expected to unlock enhanced WIPO technical and capacity-building support for Sierra Leone in the months ahead, with further engagements planned in China and Geneva.
Her performance at the symposium not only elevated Sierra Leone’s profile but also reinforced the country’s commitment to harnessing intellectual property as a cornerstone of inclusive growth and innovation.
