Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the National Museum of Yaoundé. The Director General of OAPI, Mr. Denis BOHOUSSOU, took part in the high-level panel of the 9thedition of the International Handicrafts Fair of Cameroon (SIARC), alongside the Ivorian Minister of Trade, Industry and Handicrafts – Chairman of the Board of Directors (PCA) of OAPI, Mr. Ibrahim KALIL KONATE, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts of Algeria, Mr. Abdarazak BAHBOU – Representing his minister, as well as other committed actors.
This trade fair is an initiative of the Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy, and Handicrafts (MIMPMEESA), whose supervising minister, Mr. Achille BASSILEKIN III, moderated this inaugural segment dedicated to the theme: "Between Tradition and Modernity: How to Stimulate Innovation in Craftsmanship?" SIARC serves as both a platform for discovering artisanal and cultural riches, national heritage, and promoting local expertise, as well as a space for exchange and reflection among stakeholders on the challenges related to the development of this sector. Côte d'Ivoire and Algeria, the two guest countries of honor at this edition, proudly shared their experiences and illustrated the considerable contribution of the sector to their national economies.
Regional and international mechanisms made available to promote the sector's influence
Faced with current technological changes and competitiveness challenges, the Director General provided insights into the legal and economic solutions offered by OAPI to enable artisans not only to protect their innovations within its regional area, but also to extend this protection internationally, thus offering better security in export markets.
He also noted that crafts constitute a significant source of innovation, and their creations deserve protection commensurate with their economic and cultural value. Therefore, the Organization provides artisans with several industrial property (IP) instruments, depending on the nature of their creations. Thus, creations of an aesthetic nature can benefit from protection through industrial designs , while innovations with a utilitarian purpose can be protected by utility models. When these innovations reveal a technical or technological aspect, they can be protected by patents. Artisans also have the opportunity to create synergies that would allow them to register their works as collective trademarks in order to strengthen the identification and value of their products in the market.
Essential support mechanisms for creativity and growth
Beyond legal protection, OAPI implements several financial and technical support measures to help modernize production tools and invest in research and development to foster innovation in artisanal production. In this regard, it highlighted the financial incentives offered to applicants to facilitate their access to IP tools, notably the reduced utility model filing fee of 20,000 CFA francs, down from the standard 105,000 CFA francs. Regarding patent registration, the cost of which normally amounts to 1,000,000 CFA francs is reduced to 22,500 CFA francs, and OAPI covers 80% of the annual fees for the first five years following patent issuance, thus helping to alleviate the costs of maintaining patents.
On the technical and technological front, specialized databases and information resources are accessible within the Intellectual Property Documentation Centers (IPDCs) already present in fifteen (15) Member States. These resources allow industry stakeholders and other creators to conduct research, stay informed about the state of the art, and draw inspiration from existing technologies to develop new solutions.
This participation of the Director General in SIARC 2026 further illustrates OAPI's commitment to making Intellectual Property a strategic lever for enhancing local artisanal know-how and promoting a more competitive sector that creates value and development.
