OAPI (the African Intellectual Property Organization) issued Official Bulletin No. 05 BR/2026 on 1 September 2026, while practitioners are closely tracking a separate but potentially far more consequential fee-support proposal. Under the terms currently being discussed, eligible innovation-focused applicants could see official patent registration fees fall from roughly CFA 1,000,000 to CFA 22,500. OAPI has also indicated that it would cover 80% of maintenance fees for the first five years after grant. If implemented on those terms, the measure would go well beyond an ordinary fee adjustment and could materially change filing budgets and early-stage portfolio costs across the OAPI system.
The practical question is now less about the headline reduction than about eligibility, procedure and scope. Final implementing rules are still awaiting adoption by the Council of Ministers, so applicants should not yet treat the lower figures as settled filing costs. Those considering direct OAPI filings or entry into the OAPI regional phase via the PCT should watch the qualification criteria, covered fee items and effective date closely. Once the details are confirmed, the programme could become one of OAPI’s most significant patent-cost incentives in recent years.
