Private copying seminar draws road map for Western African countries

Collections and distributions in Africa hold great potential when compared to the rest of the world. One element that can increase revenues for creators is through establishing effective private copying systems. 

When properly implemented and enforced, these systems can provide a better livelihood for both creators and the cultural industries in the region. These mechanisms drew 16 societies from Western African countries for a seminar organised by CISAC with the support from OIF. WIPO and IFRRO were also present as partners along with regional organisations UEMOA and CEDEAO.

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The seminar resulted in a “road map” to define short-term and long-term objectives. The participating societies all committed themselves to working towards these goals despite a variety of differences across private copying development stages in their countries.  

The event was opened by the Minister of Culture Abdou Latif Coulibaly, who strongly supports a private copying remuneration scheme in Senegal. In recent months, establishing the country has established a private copying commission, and it  has committed to quickly enacting and implementing private copying. It is currently drafting a decree to implement the levy system and to define the role of Customs.

According to the 2017 CISAC Global Collections Report, private copying levies are currently collected in 6 countries in the region, representing 12% of total African collections and as high as 50% in certain countries. Collections in Africa represents only 2% of the global private copying collections, showing the region’s potential.