Six of Liberia’s brightest high schools are set to compete in the National Finale of the National Intellectual Property High School Club Competition today, July 11, 2025.
The event marks the climax of a spirited and intellectually rigorous journey that began earlier this year with county-level qualifiers, impacting over 200 students from 13 high schools across Montserrado, Nimba, and Grand Bassa Counties.
The three county champions — United Dawah Ummah High School (Montserrado), W.P.L. Brumskine High School (Grand Bassa), and Ganta United Methodist High School (Nimba) — will be joined in the national final by their respective county runners-up: Lott Carey Baptist Mission High School, J.W. Pearson High School, and Bassa High School.
“These students have demonstrated exceptional comprehension and articulation of complex Intellectual Property (IP) concepts, including copyrights and related rights, piracy (infringement), trademarks, patents, and industrial designs,” said Clarence H. Cole, Deputy Director General for Copyright. “Their performances throughout the competition have underscored the transformative power of targeted educational interventions in shaping the next generation of Liberia’s creative and knowledge-driven economy.”
Launched in 2024, the National IP High School Club Competition was conceived as a pioneering initiative to close the persistent IP literacy gap among high school students across Liberia. The initiative aligns with Pillar Six of the ARREST Agenda, prioritizing human capital development as a key driver of inclusive national growth. Following a successful pilot phase in Montserrado, the competition expanded this year to Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties, ensuring demographic inclusivity and equity in IP education.
According to Cole, the Competition builds awareness and understanding of IP rights through an academically enriching extracurricular activity and fosters a spirit of practical creativity through competition.
“By encouraging students to engage with real-world legal and economic frameworks that protect creative works, the initiative helps lay the groundwork for a future generation of Liberian innovators, artists, and entrepreneurs,” Cole added.
