The office of Registrar General, under the Ministry of Justice, responsible for the administration of Intellectual Property, registration of Marriages and Deeds in The Gambia, has unveiled its annual statistics for January 2021 to December 2021 registration period.
In an interview with the Registrar General, Mr. Abdoulie Colley, said he was proud to report that, his office has registered a total of 974 civil marriages, issued 1,406 Bachelor and Spinster certificates, authenticated 307 Sharia and Christian Marriages respectively.
He pointed out the importance of marriage certificate, saying, “a marriage certificate is an important document to have for married couple in The Gambia, because it serves as the legal proof of marriage between two individuals. Getting your marriage registered and having a marriage certificate is essential for married couple in order to provide a number of services and benefit in the country,” he said.
Mr. Colley went further outlining the deeds unit registration statistics for 2021 as follows; Leases 614, Kombo Deeds 1,761, Provincial Deeds 495, Power Of Attorney 1,761 among other deed categories.
The Registrar General said, deed registration provides a clear record of ownership, which explicitly sets out any matters that affect the property.
“If you fail to register your property, the previous owner or the developer will be considered the legal and rightful owner. Legally, the sale of property won’t be considered valid until the sale deed is duly stamped and registered,” Mr. Colley clarified.
He added that registration creates greater protection against future claims and provide legal protection in a moment of dispute.
In regards to Intellectual Property registration statistics, Mr. Colley reports that the unit annual statistic received locally and internationally are as follows: Marks 25, Patent 65 and Industrial Designs 5 which total at 98 respectively.
He expressed the importance of Intellectual Property Registration by saying “it provides protection against infringement by others and ultimately defend in the courts your sole right to use, make, sell or import it”.
He urged Gambians to normalize registering their Intellectual Properties designs in order to prevent plagiarism by other parties.
Mr. Colley disclosed that his office doors are opened and will continue to offer advice to the public in regards to marriages and deeds registration and the administration of Intellectual Property in The Gambia.