The Cross-Regional African-Arab Forum on Intellectual Property and Export Competitiveness: Leveraging the PCT, Madrid and Hague Systems for Market Access took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from October 27 to 29, 2026. The Forum was organized by WIPO in cooperation with the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Authority (EIPA), and it brought together intellectual property (IP) offices, chambers of commerce, export support institutions, enterprises and technical experts from African and Arab countries.
The Forum was opened by EIPA's Director General, the Directors of the WIPO Division for Africa and the Division for Arab Countries respectively, and with a keynote from the African Union Commission. The opening highlighted the role of IP in industrial transformation, value addition, export competitiveness, and opportunities for stronger cooperation between African and Arab countries.
Connecting IP with export strategy
The intensive three-day program of the Forum covered a range of issues including:
- IP as a driver of export competitiveness and private-sector demand for IP services;
- Common barriers for enterprises such as limited awareness of the commercial value of IP and of international filing systems, the cost of securing and enforcing rights abroad, gaps in specialist advice, and constrained access to finance;
- The evolving role of IP offices;
- How IP guidance could be integrated in the existing services of chambers of commerce and export promotion organizations;
- The Madrid and Hague systems for protecting trademarks and industrial designs abroad; and
- Patents and the strategic use of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
From exchange to action
Breakout discussions, held in Arabic-, English- and French-speaking groups, allowed participants to compare national experiences. Their outputs were consolidated into a draft Action Plan proposing interventions at national, regional and cross-regional levels. Proposed responses include stronger links between IP offices and export support bodies, accessible information and referral services, joint training, targeted pilots, and peer-to-peer learning.
The draft Action Plan will be refined in consultation with stakeholders before priorities are confirmed, to ultimately enable IP to strengthen export competitiveness and market access, particularly by helping micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) use international filing systems strategically.