The Liberia IP Competition win came at the fourth edition of the Regional Intellectual Property (IP) High School Club Competition, held May 29, 2026, at the headquarters of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) in Harare, Zimbabwe. Six countries competed under the theme “Intellectual Property and the Creative Industries: A Perfect Tool for Development”: Liberia, The Gambia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Ghana. Zambia and The Gambia placed first and second runners-up, respectively, behind Liberia’s winning entry.
Liberia’s winning project was The Brushstrokes of Justice, a drama written and performed by students of Maretha International Preparatory High School. The play follows Musu, a talented but uninformed artist whose work is used without her permission, set against Bendu, a fellow creator who understands and protects her intellectual property rights. The contrast between the two characters is meant to show how limited awareness of copyright can leave artists open to exploitation and lost income, while registration and basic legal knowledge let creators control and benefit from their own work.
Liberia’s overall score was strengthened by student representative Lomenie Kollie, who outperformed every other delegation in the competition’s quizzing and role-play categories — segments that tested students on practical intellectual property questions and real-world scenarios rather than textbook definitions. Kollie earned her place at the regional round after Maretha International Preparatory High School won Liberia’s national IP School Club competition, organized by the Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO).
How the Regional IP Competition Started
The competition traces back to a pilot project launched in March 2022 by ARIPO in partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), funded through South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism via the WIPO Korea Funds-in-Trust (FIT Korea) — the same Korean government fund that has put an estimated 15 million Swiss francs into WIPO’s IP-education and capacity-building programs since 2004. The IP School Club project began in three pilot countries, Botswana, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, using a phased model that trains teachers first, then supports school-based IP clubs, before students compete at national and then regional level. The first regional awards ceremony was held in Maputo, Mozambique, in November 2022, with Botswana’s St. Joseph’s College taking the inaugural first-place prize.
Liberia’s win in 2026 marked the competition’s fourth regional edition and the country’s strongest showing yet, as ARIPO continues expanding the program beyond its three original pilot countries toward more of its 22 member states — part of the same wider push toward classroom modernization covered in LiberiaMedia’s report on EdTech Liberia: How Classrooms Across the Country Are Going Digital.
Reaction to the Liberia IP Competition Result
Todd Reves, Director of WIPO’s Building Respect for IP Division, said the competition was designed to help students across ARIPO member states understand that creativity carries real value and that intellectual property rights, properly understood and respected, can support national development. ARIPO Director General Bemanya Twebaze said the contest reflects the organization’s commitment to building a stronger culture of IP awareness among young Africans, and praised the standard of participation across all six competing countries.
Liberia Intellectual Property Office Director General Hon. Garmai Koboi called the win a milestone in the government’s effort to expand IP education in schools nationwide, adding that it shows Liberian students can compete and succeed internationally when given the right mentorship and institutional support. “We intend to build on this result,” Koboi said, framing the victory as validation of a broader goal: ensuring young artists, musicians, writers, and innovators across Liberia understand their rights and have the tools to protect their work.
Why the Liberia IP Competition Result Matters
The win adds to a growing set of youth-focused initiatives run by LIPO, which has been introducing IP School Clubs in secondary schools to familiarize students with copyright, trademark, and patent basics well before they enter creative or business careers. Advocates argue early exposure matters in a country where informal creative work — music, visual art, craft, and performance — is common, but formal registration and enforcement of IP rights remains limited, leaving many Liberian creators with little recourse when their work is copied or used without credit or compensation. Liberia’s performance at the 2026 competition, organizers say, is a sign that sustained investment in IP literacy at the school level can translate into real results on a regional stage.