Free Trade Agreements and TRIPS-plus: implications for developing countries in Africa

Abstract

This paper will focus mainly on issues affecting access to knowledge in African countries and implications of international intellectual property agreements. It will show that the majority of these countries are struggling to meet the very basic requirements of the TRIPS Agreement, yet they are now being pressured by developing countries to adopt even stricter intellectual property regimes through the IP Chatper or "TRIPS-Plus" in Free Trade Agreements. The paper highlights the impact of Free Trade Agreements and TRIPS-Plus on education, libraries, people with sensory-disabilities, public health and development in general.