BY BENJAMIN NJOKU

After five years of educating and enlightening the Nigerian public about their rights and roles of the legal institution in the country, Wetin Lawyers Dey Do…Sef?, an initiative of Efere Ozako’s Dtalkshop is set to storm Accra, the capital of Ghana.

The annual workshop for the entertainment, creative and other sectors of the economy holds today, the 5th of May with key resource persons coming from within and outside Ghana.

Interestingly, the workshop currently serenading Ghana, according to the organizers is the first ever edition to be hosted outside Nigeria with international support.

The workshop’s theme is: The Creative Enterprise: Understanding the Rules of the Game.

According to Miss Kaine Agary, the Managing Director of Dtalkshop, also the publishers of Takaii Magazine, there aim is to go beyond defining copyright and intellectual property and effectively show how these concepts and legal structures can be used to take a person from talent to enterprise.

“From our experience in Nigeria and in talking with stakeholders in Accra, it is evident that talent is not the problem; creative talent abounds in Africa. The problem is professionalism. In the words of Dr. Nii Andrews, one of the biggest art collectors in Ghana, “If you present your work under your armpit, you will get armpit money.” She said.

Agary, author of the award winning novel , Yellow Yellow, maintained that the programme will cover a wide range of topics including; contracts, and how to get the best deal from it, in an environment shy about written contracts.

The resource persons expected at the forthcoming intellectual gathering include; Miss Cynthia Jumu, Kwame Anyimadu Antwi (a current Member of Parliament who has worked in the Copyright Office in Ghana and litigated many cases in intellectual property).

Also, Agary said she expects robust and fruitful discussions on germane issues at the workshop and equally called on corporate bodies and individuals to participate fully in the programme.

During the workshop, which is free to participants, there would be lectures; panel discussions and interactive sessions to allow participants time to ask questions and raise issues with carefully selected resource persons, alongside a Legal Clinic, where participants would be given the opportunity to have private, one-on-one time with volunteer counsels, who will help them address whatever private legal questions they have.