President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on Monday welcomed the students of Maretha International Preparatory High School, winners of the 2026 WIPO-ARIPO Regional Intellectual Property (IP) Club Competition, to the Executive Mansion, celebrating a victory that has placed Liberia at the forefront of intellectual property education and youth innovation in Africa.
The meeting brought together the President, officials of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO), school administrators, teachers, and the student delegation whose performance in Harare, Zimbabwe, on May 29 earned Liberia its first regional championship in the prestigious competition.
In remarks, President Boakai commended the students for serving as ambassadors for Liberia and demonstrating that young Liberians can compete successfully on regional and international platforms when given the opportunity.
The President also praised the efforts of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office, teachers, and parents for investing in programs that expose students to innovation, creativity, and intellectual property education.
The project by Maretha students, titled The Brushstrokes of Justice, focused on copyright awareness and the protection of creative works and emerged as the overall winner among entries from six other African countries, including Rwanda, Ghana, and Zambia.
It tells the story of two young artists whose contrasting experiences highlight the consequences of limited intellectual property awareness and the benefits of protecting creative works through copyright and other IP rights.Liberia’s victory was further strengthened by the performance of the country’s student representative, Lomenie Kollie, who excelled in the competition’s quizzing and role-play segments, outperforming participants from other competing countries.
The regional IP School Club Competition, jointly organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), is designed to promote intellectual property awareness among young people and encourage respect for creativity and innovation. This year’s competition was held under the theme, “Intellectual Property and the Creative Industries: A Perfect Tool for Development.”
Liberia’s participation forms part of a broader national effort led by LIPO to introduce intellectual property education in schools through the establishment of IP Clubs and related awareness programs.
The initiative seeks to equip students with practical knowledge on copyright, trademarks, patents, innovation, and the value of protecting creative and intellectual assets.
“The victory of our students demonstrates the growing potential of Liberia’s young people to lead conversations on innovation, creativity, and intellectual property, not only at home but across Africa,” Hon. Garmai Koboi said. “The win strengthens our resolve to continue investing in IP education across the country.”
