Mr. Ibrahim Kalil KONATÉ, Minister of Trade, Industry and Handicrafts of Côte d'Ivoire and Chairman of the Board of Directors of OAPI , visited the headquarters of the African Intellectual Property Organization in Yaoundé on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
The Minister was accompanied by a large delegation, including the Ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire to Cameroon and the Director of Foreign Trade of Côte d'Ivoire. The entire delegation was welcomed on the steps of the headquarters building by Director General Denis BOHOUSSOU , surrounded by his staff.
The visit allowed the Chairman of the Board and his entourage to discover the various facets of OAPI, including key stops such as the hearing room of the Higher Appeals Commission, the Organization's judicial body. Discussions with the Director General provided the Minister and his delegation with an opportunity to fully appreciate the importance of OAPI's missions for the development of its member states, and Côte d'Ivoire in particular.
At the end of his visit, Minister Ibrahim Kalil KONATÉ expressed his great satisfaction: "I was impressed by the work done by the general management and all the staff, whom I would like to congratulate here..."
The Minister also expressed his desire to seek the expertise of the Director General to support the capacity building of national organizations in Côte d'Ivoire. He further called upon all Ministers serving as administrators of OAPI to participate in the next ordinary session of the Board of Directors, scheduled for early December in Abidjan .
This visit is part of the Minister's stay in Cameroon for the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, which is being held from March 26 to 29, 2026 in Yaoundé .
In the same vein the Ministers of Industry and Trade of Mali and Chad, Mr. Moussa ALASSANE DIALLO and Dr. Mathieu GUIBOLO FANGA , also visited the Organization's headquarters.
During discussions with the Directorate General, the Malian Administrator expressed the Malian government's appreciation for the quality of cooperation maintained with OAPI, particularly in supporting national initiatives related to intellectual property and innovation. The Chadian Administrator, for his part, commended the management team for its resilience and the excellent work accomplished in supporting the development of member states.
These important meetings highlight the importance of cooperation between OAPI and its member states in implementing national priorities in intellectual property, and supporting initiatives with high economic and scientific added value.
