WIPO organized a regional training in collaboration with ARIPO with the support of FIT/Japan IP Global from March 10 to 12, 2026 in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Building Skills and Regional Collaboration
In response to growing demands from African IP Offices, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in cooperation with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and with the support of Funds-In-Trust Japan Industrial Property Global (FIT/Japan IP Global), organized a regional training program at ARIPO in Harare, Zimbabwe, from March 10 to 12, 2026.
This training program aimed to increase knowledge of the selected offices on substantive patent examination, to raise awareness of and enhance knowledge on the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in the African region, and to build networks among patent examiners so that they can share experience and provide mutual assistance. The training focused on key aspects of patent examination, including prior art search, claim interpretation, and the assessment of novelty and inventive step.
Key Highlights
A total of 18 patent examiners from Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania[1], Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe participated in the training.
During the three day training, the following experts from ARIPO provided practical and informative lectures: Dr. Ramzy Kuku, Patent Examiner presented on ARIPO and the Harare Protocol; Dr. Makhosazana Gamedze, Patent Examiner presented on patentability criteria; and Ms. Odireleng Keipopele, Patent Examiner presented on pharmaceutical inventions.
From the Japan Patent Office, Mr. Takuya Ueshima, Deputy Director, Examination Policy Planning Office, Administrative Affairs Division presented on Computer Implemented Inventions and Artificial Intelligence (AI), providing a clear and practical explanation of examination methodologies specifically focused on AI related inventions.
From WIPO, Mr. Taegeun Kim, Senior Program Officer, PCT International Cooperation Division, organized the training and presented key information and guidance on the Patent Cooperation Treaty as well as search and examination procedures and assessment of patentability, with case examples and intensive exercises.
The participants attended the lectures with great enthusiasm, and the content was extremely well received. The post-training survey showed very high satisfaction of the participants both on the design of the course and acquired knowledge and skills. Many participants noted that it was a great opportunity to build their capacity on patent examination and hoped for more trainings in the future.
WIPO will continue to follow up on its efforts to build patent examination capacity in the region.
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- Represented by Business Registrations and Licensing Agency in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar Business and Property Registration Agency. ↩