ITC and WIPO join forces with Tanzania to brand Zanzibar cloves

The International Trade Centre (ITC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with United Republic of Tanzania and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to develop an intellectual property (IP) and branding strategy for Zanzibar cloves.
 
Cloves are the main cash crop of the island of Zanzibar and the signatories to the MoU, which was formalized on 7 November, will jointly seek to maximize the value retention of cloves for the benefit of local communities in Zanzibar. It will add a further boost to the island’s on-going efforts to increase clove production and thereby provide local farmers with potentially higher income.
 
Historically a significant crop in Zanzibar, the clove industry has suffered from low production in the past 10 years as a result of low exports and poor management. Through IP protection and a stronger branding of Zanzibar clove, Tanzania in partnership with ITC and WIPO aims to re-establish Zanzibar as a leading exporter of cloves.
 
Ms. Aicha Pouye, Director of ITC’s Division of Business and Institutional Support, said: “Building the brand perception of Zanzibar cloves is an important step towards getting the island’s economy up and running. It is the most important cash crop for the islanders, and enhancing the status of Zanzibar cloves will have a positive knock-on effect on the rest of the economy.”
To maximize the value of Zanzibar cloves, ITC will provide the branding methodology and training within which IP will be positioned, while WIPO will take the lead on developing an IP strategy for Zanzibar cloves. The protection of intellectual property is an important tool in strengthening the trading position of developing countries, but must come hand in hand with a branding strategy to yield real results.
ITC held the first of workshop in Zanzibar on 5-7 November, as a first step towards building a branding strategy for Zanzibar cloves.
 
This approach by ITC and WIPO in Zanzibar is part of a wider effort by the two organizations to develop an integrated IP and branding methodology that can serve as a model and be replicated effectively in other countries and other sectors to improve the capacity of enterprises, exporters and farmers.

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