Niamey to host 10th African Exhibition of Invention in 2026

The 10th edition of the African Exhibition of Invention and Innovative Enterprise (SAIIT) is scheduled to take place in Niamey, Niger, from October 5 to 7, 2026. Organized by the Nigerien Ministry of Commerce in partnership with the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), the event will focus on the theme ‘Intellectual property and financing of innovative SMEs in Africa.’

The exhibition aims to promote inventions and innovations to transform them into value-creating solutions that drive industrial and economic development. Participants are expected to include approximately sixty inventors, researchers, startups, and investors from the 17 OAPI member states, as well as representatives from Algeria and Tunisia.

Key activities will include conferences on SME financing, panels regarding OAPI’s innovation financing mechanisms, inter-university competitions, and B2B meetings. Additionally, OAPI Director General Denis Loukou Bohoussou announced a new mechanism developed with the African Guarantee Fund to facilitate access to financing for innovative SMEs by leveraging their intellectual property assets. Ten awards, including the Grand Prize of the President of the Republic, will be presented to top exhibitors.