AfrIPI and OAPI strengthen the capacities of the national GI committees

From 25 to 27 October 2023, in Yaoundé, Cameroon, the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), the AfrIPI project and the support project for the implementation of GIs in the OAPI region (PAMPIG 2) organised a 3-day regional workshop on the management of geographical indications (GIs) in the OAPI region.

The workshop provided a platform for experience sharing and discussion on the best practices for setting up and running national GI committees. It also explored the methods and tools used to identify, recognise, control, defend and protect GI products.

At the opening ceremony, speakers took turns highlighting the importance of GI registration, ‘…the aim is to improve the relevance of GI registration, to guarantee their performance from an economic, social, and environmental point of view, and to highlight the importance of the development and registration of GI products as drivers of rural and sustainable development.’ Jean-Marc Châtaigner, EU Ambassador to Cameroon.

The tools used to determine which products might qualify as GIs, and the legal instruments used for national validation and the examination of GI application files were presented during the workshop. AfrIPI’s prospective studies on GIs that aim to improve the readiness of products and those involved in creating a GI were also presented for three products. At the end of the workshop, a draft Guide on the establishment and operation of national GI committees was adopted. Participants urged OAPI and its Board of Administrators to lobby for budget lines dedicated to the set-up and running of national GI committees, and to provide continuous training to committee members.

The hybrid event was attended by the AfrIPI project lead, Aida Galindo, the OAPI Director General, Denis Bouhoussou, the EU Ambassador to Cameroon, Jean-Marc Chataȋgner, representatives of the OAPI national liaison offices and GI committees from all 17 OAPI member states, GI experts from Benin, France, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, GI producers, the EU delegation in Cameroon, OAPI and AfrIPI staff.