During the recent trip to Cape Verde in April 2023, Bemanya Twebaze, Director General of ARIPO, also took the time to visit to the facilities of the Operational Centre of the Information Society (NOSI) in Praia. The Director General indicated that he was very satisfied with the work the institute has done to promote digital transformation across the African continent.
This was the first official visit of the Director-General of ARIPO to Cape Verde, following the deposit of its instruments of accession to four of the five ARIPO Protocols, which took place in July 2022 in Geneva. The purpose of the visit, as a representative of ARIPO, was to show his support for Cape Verde in the use of technology to further protection of intellectual property in various areas. By applying the technology that NOSI employs, it ensures that sectors such as education, tourism, health and agriculture are governed properly.
Since Cape Verde’s accession to ARIPO, the office has already received a number of applications under the Harare Protocol. In addition, more than 130 trade mark applications have been filed in terms of the Banjul Protocol. The Director General noted that the applications already filed under the four Protocols demonstrate that brand owners are seeking to protect intellectual property in Cape Verde, which has become much more achievable and manageable since its accession to ARIPO.
