From June 4 to 7, 2025, the director general of the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), Denis Bohoussou, made a working visit to Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo. Assisted by the director of patents and other technical creations, Guy Francis Boussafou, this mission was part of the monitoring of the major guidelines of the OAPI board of directors and the reinforced dialogue with the national authorities of the Member States.
An interview with the chairman in office of the board of directors (PCA)
The highlight of this visit, a working session was held with the OAPI PCA, Antoine Thomas Nicephore Fylla Saint-Eudes, Congolese Minister for Industrial Development and Promotion of the Private Sector. The exchanges made it possible to take stock of the advancement of current files, in particular the deployment of the mechanism of financing the invention and innovation (MEFII). Mechanism which aims to support 1,000 innovative project leaders from OAPI Member States, at various maturation stages, whether technical consolidation or facilitation of access to financing.
Institutional meetings with strategic ministerial departments
The Director General was also received by the Minister of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation, Mr. Rigobert Maboundou, to discuss the role of OAPI in supporting inventors and researchers, as well as the operationalization of the MEFII.
A third meeting was held with the Minister of State, Minister of Land Affairs and the Public domain, in charge of relations with Parliament, Mr. Pierre Mabiala, in the presence of the PCA. The interview focused on the provision by the Congolese authorities, a land intended to accommodate the future intellectual property documentation center (CDPI). Land that has already been identified, and whose transfer process is underway.
Intensify the awareness of actors on controlling the procedure for obtaining patents at the OAPI
On the sidelines of this mission, a training workshop for members of the National Liaison Structure (SNL) of the Congo was organized on Friday, June 6, led by the director of patents to the great satisfaction of the listeners. The workshop focused on the application of the new procedure for issuing invention patents and registration certificates for utility models, which came into force in January 2025. Capacity strengthening in order to build Congolese inventors on measures to protect their inventions.
A mission under the sign of action
This visit to Brazzaville is part of the proximity dynamics of OAPI with its member states and effective implementation of the strategic decisions adopted by its governance bodies. Through reinforced cooperation with the Congolese authorities, the OAPI reaffirms its commitment to stimulate African innovation, by helping to make the sector profitable and by encouraging access to technical and documentary resources.
