The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) underscored the role of Intellectual Property (IP) rights as a cornerstone for intra-African trade as it announced participation in the upcoming Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2025, scheduled for 4 to 10 September in Algiers, Algeria.
“IATF 2025 is about expanding Africa’s trade opportunities, and IP rights play a critical role in this shared goal, which will positively impact the continent’s sustainable socio-economic growth,” said Mr. Bemanya Twebaze, Director General of ARIPO. “Strong IP systems such as ARIPO’s regional framework enable the protection of innovation, which is a strategic fuel for trade growth.”
Being Africa’s premier platform for commerce and collaboration, IATF provides an ideal stage for ARIPO to spotlight the vital link between trade, innovation, and IP rights, shaping how Africa positions itself in the global marketplace.
As a regional body entrusted with harmonizing IP policies, ARIPO’s mandate ensures that jurisdictional barriers in how IP rights operate do not hinder cross-border trade. By registering and granting IP titles on behalf of its Member States, ARIPO provides African and international businesses with a system that enables innovation to move across borders as designated by its owners.
Regarding ARIPO’s mandate, Mr. Bemanya Twebaze emphasized that “A harmonized IP system underpins Africa’s vision of seamless intra-African trade. By protecting innovations, trademarks, patents, and creative works, ARIPO ensures that African businesses can confidently trade, scale their ideas, and compete on the global stage.”
ARIPO’s participation at IATF 2025 is part of its broader strategy of engaging audiences through leading commerce platforms and marketplaces to raise awareness on the importance of IP rights. It also equips businesses, from entrepreneurs to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and large corporations, with knowledge on how to use their IP asset portfolios to attract investment and expand their markets.
This was also the regional body’s agenda at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), Southern Africa’s largest multi-sectoral exhibition held in April 2025, the Kenya Innovation Week (KIW) held in Nairobi in November 2024, and many other regional and international business and innovation-related platforms.
ARIPO has been in existence for almost 50 years, serving at the heart of Africa’s innovation and trade agenda. As the Golden Jubilee approaches in 2026, the Organization continues to strengthen intra-African trade by protecting innovation and creativity, enabling the commercialisation of ideas, and fostering competitiveness through IP.
ARIPO’s presence at IATF 2025 is a rallying call to businesses across the continent to leverage IP not as an afterthought, but as a cornerstone of their trade strategies. Attendees are encouraged to visit the ARIPO stand and engage directly with its experts on how IP can drive growth and competitiveness, as well as open new frontiers for African trade.
ARIPO is an intergovernmental organization that facilitates cooperation among its Member States in Intellectual Property (IP) matters. The purpose of ARIPO is to pool resources for the promotion, development, and harmonization of the IP laws and policies of its Member States including. The objective of ARIPO, amongst others, is to establish common services and organs for IP coordination, development and harmonization.
The Member States of ARIPO comprise Botswana, The Kingdom of Eswatini, Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, The Kingdom of Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
