As part of the cooperation agreement signed between INPI France ( National Institute of Industrial Property) and OAPI , a project to update the patent was launched at the end of 2023, facilitated in particular by the similarity of their respective legislation.
It is important to recall that the 2023-2027 strategic plan , adopted by its Board of Directors, includes as a major objective the revitalization and increase of patent applications, while simultaneously improving their quality. The plan notably provides for the introduction of substantive examination of patent applications, in accordance with Article 23 of Annex I of the Bangui Agreement .
In this context, throughout 2024, several workshops were organised with the technical support of INPI France.
Following on from this work, an online workshop dedicated to validating the guidelines for examining patent applications and certificates of addition was organized the week of November 24, 2025, between the patent departments of OAPI and INPI France. This collaboration aims to harmonize industrial property while contributing to OAPI's capacity building. It is therefore fully aligned with the objectives of the Francophone Intellectual Property Alliance and with OAPI's strategy to become a modern and efficient office serving its member states .
