The Registrar General’s Department
The Registrar General’s Department is headed by the Registrar General. The Registrar General has oversight responsibility for the following three Units – i. Intellectual Property Registry;
ii. The Deeds Registry; and
iii. Marriage Registry
I. Intellectual Property Registry
This Unit is responsible for the administration and implementation of the Industrial Property Act 1989 Cap 95:01 as amended in 2007 and Industrial Property (Amendment) Act 2015.The Acts specifically deals with the registration of patents, industrial designs, collective marks and trademarks.
The Unit also administer international industrial property applications from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) that designate The Gambia. The Intellectual Property Automation System (IPAS) is the database used by the Unit to administer all the industrial property rights, After Cabinet approval of the National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy (NIPPS) 2018-2023 in December 2019, the implementation process spearheaded by the National Intellectual Property Council is now in high gear. Few objectives of the NIPPS are to merge the Industrial Property Office and the Copyright Office to become an Intellectual Property Office under the Ministry of Justice, to create intellectual property awareness in The Gambia, to build the capacity of the Unit’s staff, The Gambia to accede to all the major relevant international conventions, to introduce intellectual property course in all faculties of the University of The Gambia etc. The draft Intellectual Property Act, 2020 is now due to be validated by the stakeholders
II. The Deeds Registry
The Deeds Registry is established under section 3 of the Lands (Registration of Deeds) Act 1980 Cap 57:01 Laws of The Gambia. The documents to be registered under the purview of the Act include deeds, conveyances, wills, contracts and other instruments affecting land, tenements and hereditaments in The Gambia. The Registrar General has a statutory duty to register and maintain the integrity of the originals of records and provide certified true copies where required. Furthermore, documents registered at the Deeds Registry are deemed to be in legal custody, the
extracts of which can be used as evidence before the courts, and notice to the whole world, as stipulated in section 17 and 19 of the Act. The Registrar General’s responsibilities under the Lands (Registration of Deeds) Act 1980 Cap 57:01 impacts on the integrity of documents that evidence important transactions entered into by the general public.
III. Marriage Registry
The Registrar General is also responsible for the conduct and administration of civil marriages in accordance with the Civil Marriage Act 1938 Cap 41:02. The Registrar also maintains a Register of Marriages, authenticates certificates for marriages celebrated under the Christian Marriages Act Cap 41:03, and the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act Cap 42:01.