As the year ends, the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) has recorded a positive trajectory.
Key highlights include increasing Industrial Property applications by 26%.
Revenue continued to increase. Compared to last year, revenue generation grew by about 20%. Collections up to 30th November 2022 surpassed the target by 31%.
Another milestone was membership growth. ARIPO now has 22 Member States following the deposit of the instrument of accession by the Republic of Cape Verde, which became effective on 14th July 2022.
The success in the past year was made possible by the support and commitment of ARIPO’s stakeholders. The impact has been through strategic partnerships on intellectual property matters that have addressed the need of the ARIPO Member States to maximize social-economic growth. The strategic partnerships were with organizations, such as WIPO, JPO, EPO, and EUIPO, under the auspices of the AfrIPI project.
Other achievements include the inaugural Conference of Heads of IP Offices (HIPOC) held in the Kingdom of Eswatini with the support of WIPO from 8th to 10th June 2022; and activities undertaken under the Intellectual Property Rights & Innovation in Africa project (AfrIPI) funded by the European Union and implemented by the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
The ARIPO operations were also streamlined into an effective and efficient system. The Organization’s intentional plans, policies and strategies snowballed into producing demonstrable results.
The Forty-sixth Session of the Administrative Council held in Maputo, Republic of Mozambique, from 21st to 25th November 2022, also expressed appreciation for the achievements registered so far and committed its support to the Organization’s future endeavours.
On that basis, the focus for 2023 is to reorient the Organization by shifting focus from austerity to driving the Organization’s Strategic Plan.