The African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) and the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) signed today, May 6, 2025 at OAPI headquarters in Yaoundé, a strategic agreement worth 40 billion FCFA, marking a decisive turning point in supporting the financing of invention and innovation in the 17 OAPI member states.
Chaired by Mr. Denis BOHOUSSOU , Director General of OAPI, and Mr. Jules NGANKAM , Director General of AGF, the official ceremony marks the culmination of in-depth work begun in 2020 which embodies the desire to give new impetus to entrepreneurship and innovation on the continent.
A structuring mechanism, designed for the innovation ecosystem
This unprecedented mechanism aims to support 1000 innovative projects over a five-year period, relying on two essential levers:
• A 5 billion FCFA stake acquired by OAPI in the capital of AGF
• The creation of a guarantee window dedicated to bank loans granted to promoters of innovative projects and SMEs whose inventions are protected by a patent in the Member States
In concrete terms, this mechanism will reduce the structural obstacles that innovators face in accessing funding, by providing:
• A credit guarantee facilitating bank loans
• Technical support at each stage of the project lifecycle (start-up, growth, expansion)
• Connecting with industrial partners
• Support for the commercial exploitation of industrial property rights, particularly patents
A response to the challenges of financing innovation in Africa
This initiative is part of the implementation of OAPI's 2018–2022 and 2023–2027 strategic plans, which make innovation financing a central driver of technological development. A 2020 study on innovation financing in Africa highlighted the lack of tools adapted to the context of innovative SMEs. OAPI therefore developed a tailored mechanism, approved by its Board of Directors on July 26, 2024, through Resolution No. 10/2.
According to the Director General of OAPI, "This partnership with AGF aims to fill a structural gap in our community space by providing innovation stakeholders with concrete, sustainable, and large-scale support." "This is a historic and revolutionary mechanism," stated the Director General of AGF.
The first calls for projects will be launched in the third quarter of 2025, with the objective of supporting 200 projects in the first year of implementation.
