At the SIARC 2026 high-level programme held from 28 to 30 July 2026, OAPI Director General Denis Bohoussou announced a patent fee support scheme for applicants meeting specified conditions. Under the announced terms, patent registration-related charges would fall from CFA 1,000,000 to CFA 22,500, a reduction of 97.75%, while OAPI would cover 80% of annual maintenance fees for the first five years after grant. OAPI also issued Official Industrial Property Bulletin No. 10DM/2026 on 30 July, adding a fresh set of published rights and procedural notices to the week’s institutional developments.
If implemented on the announced basis, the measure could materially lower the entry cost for inventors, start-ups and research commercialisation projects seeking protection across OAPI member states. The CFA 22,500 figure should not yet be treated as an automatic rate for every applicant: eligibility, filing routes, subsidy approval and the mechanics of the annuity contribution will depend on formal implementing rules. Applicants considering OAPI protection should therefore review qualification criteria and long-term maintenance budgets, while also checking Bulletin 10DM/2026 for newly published applications and rights-status information.
