The International Colloquium to celebrate 20th Anniversary of the Denis Ekani Intellectual Property Academy (APIDE) of the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) took place on September 11 and 12 in Yaoundé, Cameroon under the theme “The OAPI Academy: 20 Years of Serving Human Resources Training in Intellectual Property”. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) with the financial support of the Funds-In-Trust Japan Industrial Property Global (FIT/Japan IP Global) contributed to the event which examined various actions carried out by OAPI in the field of human resource capacity building with a view to providing an appropriate and diversified range of training to develop an intellectual property culture across OAPI Member States.
Overview of the colloquium
During the opening ceremony, welcome remarks were delivered by Mr. Denis L. Bohoussou, Director General of OAPI, Mr. yves Ngoubeyou, representative of the Director General of WIPO Mr. Daren Tang, His Excellency Kentaro Minami, Japan’s Ambassador to Cameroon and by Professor Virginie YANPELDA, Technical Advisor representing the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education of Cameroon, and brought together personalities who chaired the ceremony. These distinguished representatives highlighted the importance of intellectual property (IP) education as a foundation for building a robust IP ecosystem in Africa was emphasized.
The ceremony was also attended by other notable personalities, including:
- Representatives of international partner offices (EUIPO, CNIPA, OMPIC, CEIPI)
- His Excellency the Ambassador of The Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Deen of Ambassadors accredited to Cameroon
- Ambassadors and Consuls of OAPI member states
- Alumni of the Master’s Program in Intellectual Property
In light of APIDE’s two decades of experience, presentations and discussions addressed the current state and future challenges of IP education. Participants highlighted the need to integrate IP law into education in addition to general law, and stressed the benefits of raising awareness activities not only at the university level but also from the secondary and high school stages.
Invited partners of OAPI shared their initiatives in the area of IP education and training, including the WIPO Academy, the Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI, France), China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), and the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property (OMPIC). Speakers emphasized the growing demand for training and skills development in the area of IP and the steps being undertaken to provide tailored and targeted offerings to raise the level of awareness and understanding of IP.
Ms. Keiko Kuroshima, the Fund Officer of FIT/Japan IP Global, introduced Japan’s approach to IP creation education tailored to middle school, high school, and university levels. She presented concrete examples of classroom practices, which provided valuable insights and inspired further exchange of ideas.
In addition to leading IP experts, alumni of the MIP program at the University of Yaoundé II who have been actively promoting IP awareness across Africa also took part in the event. A panel session was organized on “The Role of OAPI Academy alumni in the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem: Sharing experience, Challenges and proposals” that brought together Ms. Armelle Fouda-Talla, Co-Founder of T&F SCP, Cameroon, Mr. Simplice Ouatarra , Lawyer and Professional Representative with OAPI, Côte d'Ivoire, and Mr. Issouf Zan, Head of the Innovation Parks and Multi-Stakeholder Innovation Platforms Department, Burkina Faso. Drawing on the knowledge gained through the MIP course, they shared the significant contributions made in their respective areas in using IP and offered valuable advice on the need to grow human resource knowledge and skills through the MIP program The event also strengthened engagement among graduates and facilitated networking among alumni present marking a successful alumni-focused gathering.
The 20th anniversary event was well received by participants, who found the discussions highly informative and applicable to the development of IP education across Africa. Moving forward, WIPO will continue to collaborate with the OAPI Academy to strengthen capacity-building efforts and contribute effectively to the training of future IP professionals.
Contribution of FIT/Japan IP Global
Since its establishment in December 2004, APIDE has played a pivotal role in building a critical mass of human resources in the field of IP across OAPI Member States. Through a strategic partnership with the University of Yaoundé II, and with the continued support of WIPO through FIT/Japan IP Global - over 340 African graduates have received specialized IP training via the master’s program.