A Systematic Review of Literature on Intellectual Property and the Creative Industry in Africa Using Scopus

Abstract

The shift of the world to a knowledge economy, mainly driven by Intellectual Property (IP), calls for research dissemination through scholarly publishing to promote the protection and commercialisation of IP. In Africa, innovations such as mobile payment systems, drones, and development in the fields of renewable energy, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence have become key drivers of economic growth and development. However, many African countries have yet to know and appreciate the value of IP to their economies. The benefits of IP may be fully realised through proper awareness and understanding of IP using scholarly publications. The study sought to examine the published documents that focus on IP and the creative industry in Africa in order to create awareness and understanding of the breadth and scope of IP and IPRs. Content analysis was conducted on Scopus using descriptive informetrics. The Scopus database was used to ascertain the published documents that focus on IP and the creative industry in Africa. The researcher used the search string TITLE, ABSTRACT, KEYWORD and also applied Scopus “Analyse Search Results”, which facilitated in-depth analysis of the documents according to the key indicators (the year of publication, territory or country, source, author, institute/ affiliation, types of document, subject areas and sponsors). The analysis revealed that there were very few documents published each year on IP and the creative industry published in Africa. Although documents on IP and the creative industry in Africa were published through three document types, there was a diversity of the subject areas in which research on IP and the creative industry in Africa was found. Of the available research, most authors were affiliated with institutions in Africa, but only one of the journals belonged to an African country, and of all the sponsors, only four belonged to an African country. There was very little research on IP and the creative industry published in Africa, although IP is applicable to different disciplines. Africa needs to improve its science and technology capacity, research facilities and funding, and understanding and awareness of IP. Scholarly publishing on IP and the creative industries would be more pronounced if supported by local sponsors and journals instead of relying on scholars and institutions affiliated with countries outside Africa.