Africa adopts IT to protect its resources

Protection of intellectual property rights is at the centre of Kenya’s information and communication technology policy, the government said yesterday. Minister Raphael Tuju said Africa was the biggest loser of indigenous intellectual property because its indigenous knowledge was being constantly digitalized, privatized and shipped overseas. An estimated $43 billion worth of medicines from plants discovered by indigenous people was being sold abroad every year, Mr. Tuju said. Daily Nation June 29, 2005