OAPI Director General Denis Bohoussou made a noticed intervention during the high -level panel of the International Conference on Geographic Indications (IG) organized by the FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) in Rome in Italy, this February 18, 2025. His words highlighted the remarkable successes of the organization in the development of IGs in Africa.
An impressive assessment: the OAPI has quintuplely its number of GIs recorded in 10 years, going from 3 to 14 IG, including the prestigious Penja pepper (Cameroon), the first IG of sub -Saharan Africa recognized by the European Union.
This success is based on three pillars:
• A solid legal and structural framework
• continuous strengthening of skills in Member States
• The identification and enhancement of products with high potential
The OAPI is now engaged in a new ambitious phase, in collaboration with the African Union, to deploy a continental IG development strategy.
