AfrIPI hosts a thematic dinner to promote African geographical indications

On 17 April 2024, the Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation in Africa (AfrIPI) project hosted a thematic dinner on geographical indications (GIs) in Douala, Cameroon, as part of the international colloquium and trade fair on GIs in Africa.

Organised to showcase Africa’s wealth of agricultural and artisanal GIs, the Terroirs et Savoirs d’Afrique dinner aimed to promote GI-labelled products from the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) and African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) regions. It gave guests the opportunity to try some of the GI products whose promotion, protection and development lie at the centre of the colloquium.

The diverse continental buffet included various dishes prepared with: kilichi from Niger; pourtague d’Imraguen from Mauritania; shallots from Bandiagara, Mali; nsukka yellow pepper from Nigeria; penja pepper from Cameroon; kovié rice from Togo; attiéké des lagunes from the Ivory Coast; agonlin oil and ananas pain de sucre from Benin; baronne de friguiabé from Guinea; sohoui gari from Savalou, Burkina Faso; madd de casamance from Senegal; ziama macenta coffee from Guinea; café de man from the Ivory Coast; and oku white honey from Cameroon.

Impressed with the quality and variety of the food served, Professor Fuh Callistus Gentry, Cameroon’s Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, offered some words of appreciation: ‘This meeting is really important because it provides us with a platform to present our African cuisine and export it overseas, which is a valuable asset for us Africans. These actions should persist and expand globally.’

The guests thanked colloquium partners and the AfrIPI project through the European Commission for organising the event.

Other guests included Thierry Patrick Akoloza, Minister of Trade and Industry of the Central African Republic, Chairman of the OAPI Board of Directors; Denis Bohoussou, Director General of the OAPI; Alexandra Grazioli, Director, Lisbon Registry, Brands and Designs Sector, World Intellectual Property Organization; Benjamin Vallin, International Relations Officer, European Commission; and Pierre-Justin Kouka, Senior Advisor, African Union Commission.