Cameroon played host to the third edition of the Africa-GI Training, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at promoting the development of geographical indications (GIs) in Africa.

The training, which was attended by participants from Cameroon, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin, among others, featured a study visit to the Centre of Excellence of the Interprofessional Cocoa and Coffee Council in Mbalmayo. This visit provided participants with hands-on experience and the opportunity to share best practices in GI development.  The Africa-Gi training process aims at supporting the establishment of geographical indications in OAPI member States.

According to the Director of the African Intellectual Property Organisation (OAPI), Denis L. BOHOUSSOU , “This is the third edition of the African training on geographical indications. It is a training that OAPI has been deploying for a few years with the support of OAPI. Our goal is to enable different member states to have the human resources capable of leading the process of registering our products in geographical indications.”

This initiative is a significant step towards promoting intellectual property protection in Africa. With the support of the European Union, OAPI is committed to empowering African countries to develop and protect their GIs, thereby promoting economic growth and development.

As the Director of OAPI aptly put it, “This initiative has a bright future.” Indeed, with the success of the Africa-GI Training, Africa is poised to take a giant leap in protecting its intellectual property and promoting sustainable development.”