The content of the Agreement signed between European Union (EU) and “African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)”

The European Commission signed an agreement with “African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)”for the protection of specific traditional agricultural products of specific locations in Africa. The agreement includes the procedure of implementation of the protection clauses, development of Geographical Indication (GI) framework, creating a mechanism to educate the people of the signatory countries about the benefit of the GI protection. In recent years, the traditional knowledge protection of a specific region has become the tool of economic development of the developing nations. The agreement is a great leap forward for the member nations.

 “ARIPO” was formed in Lusaka of Zambia on 9^th of December, 1979 by Lusaka Agreement.  The Headquarters of the organization is located at Harare in Zimbabwe. The member states are Botswana, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe and 12 observer states.  

European Union is working for the development of GI protection for a long period. The top priority of the EU is to assist the developing countries in this matter through trade negotiations and other means. In the forty sixth session of “International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV)”, “ARIPO” informed that they have established a system that will encourage the local invention in the field of agriculture and it will also reduce the administrative cost of patent rights. For this purpose, the organization has created a one stop shop wherefrom a single protection title of GI product will cover all the member nations. It will reduce the cost of inventions; allow varieties of products available in more countries and it will also build effective synergies with national systems. EU has appreciated the strategy of “ARIPO” and promised to assist them.

The following names have been proposed as candidate for GI protection in joint work carried out by the EU and the African Union:

• Zanzibar cloves (clous de girofles) from Tanzania*
• Rift Valley Coffee from Tanzania*
• Sidamo coffee from Ethiopia
• Rooibos from South Africa
• Karoo lamb from South Africa
• Beurre de karité du plateau Massif from Burkina Faso
• Miel blanc d'Oku from Cameroon
• Poivre blanc de Penja from Cameroon
• Shama shea butter from Ghana*
• Ghana Fine Flavour Cocoa*
• Café Diama from Guinea
• Rwanda Mountain Coffee*
• Mount Kenya Roses from Kenya*
• Ngoro Ngoro Mountain coffee from Kenya*
• Rodrigues Limes from Mauritius
• Karakoel pelt from Namibia*
• Senegal Yett
• West Nile district cotton from Uganda*
• West Nile Honey from Uganda*

The star mark indicates the member countries of “ARIPO”