Vincentian Women Shine at Cross-Regional Forum on Intellectual Property and Women’s Entrepreneurship in Kingston, Jamaica 

By Havlyn Gill. Updated 3:58 p.m., Wednesday, December 11, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

A team of remarkable Vincentian women participated in the Cross-Regional Forum on Intellectual Property (IP) and Women’s Entrepreneurship, held in Kingston, Jamaica, on December 5-6, 2024. The forum brought together women entrepreneurs from the Caribbean and Africa, following an intense three-month IP training program earlier this year.

The Vincentian contingent included creative industry leaders Kimon Baptiste of Kimmystic.Clo, Marslyn Lewis of Marslyn’s, Kimya Glasgow of Kimya Glasgow Designs, and CIPO representative Aneshia Glasgow. Their participation underscored the strength of Vincentian women in business and their dedication to leveraging IP for sustainable growth and innovation.

This landmark forum, organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in collaboration with the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) and supported by the Japan Patent Office (JPO), marked the first cross-regional initiative of its kind. Women from Belize, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and Ghana came together to share experiences, build networks, and explore the power of IP to transform their businesses.

The former Registrar of CIPO, Lekeicha Caesar-Toney, and her team, alongside WIPO, played a pivotal role in supporting this project, which aims to empower women entrepreneurs across regions. Ms. Carol Simpson, Head of the Section for Caribbean Countries at WIPO, emphasized, “We want women who have benefitted from this project to share their experiences and pass on the knowledge and benefits of IP to other women in business in their countries.”

Kimon Baptiste, founder of Kimmystic.Clo, reflected on her journey:“Before this training, my understanding of IP was vague, but now I see the incredible possibilities it holds—not just for my business, but for protecting creativity and fostering growth across the region. Trademarking Kimmystic.Clo’s name and logo has been a significant step, and I am inspired to implement more strategies to build and protect our brand.”

Keithlin Caroo-Afrifa, Executive Director of Helen’s Daughters, a non-profit organization empowering Caribbean women in agriculture, also shared, “The WIPO training guided us in the trademarking process of several of our assets. Moving forward, we will integrate IP training into our Ag-cademy to equip farmers with essential knowledge on protecting their own innovations.”

The forum highlighted the importance of IP as a tool for women’s economic empowerment. It also underscored the role of collaboration in advancing IP education and support for women-led enterprises across the Caribbean and Africa.

The Vincentian participants, inspired by the forum, are committed to sharing their knowledge and experiences to ensure the ripple effects of this initiative extend far beyond the event itself.