daniel chigunwe
Mutsawashe Mashandure
Arts Correspondent
The Ministry of Arts, Sport and Recreation has unveiled an Anti-Piracy Strategy for Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) as part of a move to enhance intellectual property protections in Zimbabwe.
The initiative, made possible through technical support from the European Union’s Investment Climate Reforms Facility, seeks to strengthen the enforcement of copyright laws and safeguard the rights of creators.
At the launch held in Harare recently, Nicholas Moyo, the Permanent Secretary for Sport, Recreation, Arts, and Culture, emphasised the importance of drafting an anti-piracy strategy.
“We want to inform how the sector can work towards addressing piracy and to empower various stakeholders to act and protect themselves while maintaining a high standard of business quality.
“This strategy seeks to outline the approaches and methods informed by legal frameworks in Zimbabwe, such as the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act (S. 4) 32/2004 and the 2013 National Constitution of Zimbabwe.
“With the CCIs, we aim to collaboratively lobby for the realignment of existing frameworks, including the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act,” he stated.
He noted the significance of directly contributing to the attainment of the national vision of becoming an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
“We aim to formulate and establish policy frameworks that promote the development of Sport, Recreation, Arts, and Culture, achieved through the institutionalization and enforcement of good corporate governance in these areas,” he added.
The Government has made substantial progress in promoting the CCIs, he remarked.
“Through this facility, the Ministry has mobilised stakeholders toward intellectual property protection for the CCIs in alignment with other policies and legal frameworks that govern our land, such as the National Intellectual Property Policy and Implementation Strategy (ZNIPPIS),” he explained.
He emphasised the importance of collaboration among stakeholders.
“We call upon everyone to lend their voices to this effort, as your insights are invaluable to us.
“Our goal is to move forward together as private and public sector stakeholders, recognising that not all project participants are present today,” he added.
The Permanent Secretary highlighted their commitment to fostering engagement and dialogue to ensure support for the anticipated launch of the Draft Anti-Piracy Strategy for CCIs.
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