AfrIPI

AfrIPI is an international cooperation project funded and directed by the European Union, co-funded and implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). It has an initial duration of 4 years starting from February 2020. The overall objective of AfrIPI is to facilitate intra-African trade and African and European investment. It specifically aims to create, protect, utilize, administer and enforce Intellectual Property Rights across Africa, in line with international and European best practices and in support of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Union´s Agenda 2063.

The launch of the AfCFTA is a major step towards regional integration within the African continent and its objectives include the creation of a liberalized market for goods and services, and the facilitation of trade and investment. In this context, the AfrIPI project, funded under the Pan-African Program, aims to boost the continental economic integration through strengthening and improving the systems for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) creation, protection, utilization, administration and enforcement.

AfrIPI has four main objectives:promotion of Intellectual Property international agreements for a reinforced cooperation between EU and Africa; strengthening of national and regional Intellectual Property institutions, networks, and tools, to increase a user- friendly and efficient protected IP system; iaising awareness of Intellectual Property Rights (including Geographical Indications) in the African society for Small and Medium- sized Enterprises (SMEs and implementation of the work plan activities linked to the African Union (AU) Continental Strategy for Geographical Indications.