Geneva, August 20, 2026 — Two jewels of African terroir, Madd from Casamance (Senegal) and Penja Pepper (Cameroon), received their international registration certificates today at the headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. This is a first for the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) region.
Initially recognized in their country of origin, then protected by the OAPI (African Intellectual Property Organization) — and, in the case of Penja Pepper, distinguished by the European Commission — these two exceptional products now join the world heritage of Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs). Most importantly, they become the very first PGIs in the OAPI area registered under the Lisbon system.
Recognition born from a long journey
This recognition crowns nearly twenty years of effort. From the Ouagadougou Declaration in 2005 to the Ministerial Conference on the International Protection of Geographical Indications, held in Abidjan in 2022, OAPI has consistently worked to gain recognition for the geographical indications of its member states. Its accession, on December 15, 2022, to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement concerning the International Registration of Geographical Indications makes this double first possible today.
A cooperation welcomed by all
During the certificate presentation ceremony, all the speeches emphasized the historic nature of the event and the quality of cooperation between WIPO and OAPI, as well as between WIPO and its member states. The recipients, represented by the embassies of Senegal and Cameroon, and the representative of the current Chairman of the OAPI Executive Board, the Ambassador of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, thanked both institutions and expressed their pride in seeing Africa's potential highlighted in this way.
The ceremony concluded with an invitation to producers to seize these new protection tools to promote and enhance the value of their products worldwide. A shared hope remains—that many other geographical indications within the OAPI region will in turn adopt the Lisbon System.
