Selam Ethiopia, a leading NGO promoting arts and culture for social change, has launched a month-long digital campaign to raise awareness on Intellectual Property Rights across the nation, backed by UNESCO's International Fund for Cultural Diversity. The effort, part of the Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights in Ethiopia project, aims to empower artists and creators.
Selam Ethiopia announced the campaign on November 30, 2025. It runs for one month starting December 1, 2025, using infographics, short educational videos, and multilingual messages distributed through national platforms and partner networks. The initiative particularly targets underserved communities with limited access to IP education.
Key topics include copyright, neighboring rights such as royalties, work registration, the impact of piracy, the roles of bodies like the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Authority (EIPA) and Collective Management Organizations (CMOs), Ethiopia's position in global copyright frameworks, and protections in the digital era. Launched in 2024, the SIPRE project has held workshops in Addis Ababa, Hawassa, Bahir Dar, Mekelle, and Adama, training more than 326 artists, media professionals, and government officials on Ethiopia's IP systems. It has produced guides in Amharic, Afan Oromo, Tigrigna, and Sidamigna, and established national and continental platforms for sharing best practices.
“This campaign takes the message of intellectual property rights to every corner of Ethiopia,” said Samuel Mulugeta, Country Director of Selam Ethiopia. “Creators deserve to understand their rights and benefit fairly from their work. This is a meaningful step toward a more inclusive creative economy.”
The project seeks to build a fairer creative sector in Ethiopia, especially for youth and regional cultural groups.