AU Summit Adopts Eight Annexes To The AfCFTA IP Protocol

At the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly in Addis Ababa this past February, heads of state adopted eight key Annexes to the AfCFTA Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), which was considered a transformative step towards a unified African innovation market.

First adopted in 2023, the IP Protocol aims to harmonise IP laws across the continent to support intra-African trade, protect creativity, and strengthen commercialisation pathways. The newly endorsed Annexes make the Protocol operational by providing detailed frameworks on Marks, Industrial Designs, Patents, Utility Models, New Plant Variety Protection, Geographical Indications, Copyright and Related Rights, and Traditional Knowledge, Traditional Cultural Expressions, and Genetic Resources.

This development aims to reduce fragmentation across Africa’s IP landscape by streamlining procedures, enhancing legal clarity, and supporting innovators, creators, and businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions.

The adoption reinforces the AfCFTA’s broader mission to accelerate industrialisation and strengthen Africa’s competitiveness through coordinated, innovation-driven policy tools. For IP practitioners and rights holders, the Annexes provide long-awaited structure, certainty, and alignment with both continental priorities and international best practices.

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