Casamance Madd and Penja pepper receive international protection

Casamance Madd from Senegal and Penja pepper from Cameroon have received international registration certificates, marking a historic milestone for the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) area.

The registration took place on August 20 at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) headquarters in Geneva. These two products are the first Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) from the OAPI region to be registered under the Lisbon system.

This achievement follows nearly twenty years of efforts by OAPI, beginning with the 2005 Ouagadougou Declaration and continuing through the 2022 Ministerial Conference in Abidjan. The ability to secure these international protections was made possible by OAPI’s accession to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on December 15, 2022. The products were previously recognized by their respective countries, the OAPI, and the European Commission.