- Offices in Riyadh, Dubai and London
Africa Trademark Registration: OAPI, ARIPO and Country Filings
Protect your trademark in the African markets where you sell and distribute.
No single filing covers every African country. We map where you sell and plan to expand, then recommend the mix of OAPI, ARIPO, national and Madrid filings, with costs. Africa trademark registration protects a brand in African markets through four routes. OAPI (the African Intellectual Property Organization) covers 17 member states with one registration.
Protection Period
Can one trademark filing cover every African country?
No. OAPI gives one registration in its 17 member states, and ARIPO’s Banjul Protocol lets one application designate up to 13 states, each of which can refuse it. Many large markets, including South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Kenya, sit outside both systems and need their own filings.
A trademark registered in the UAE or the EU gives no protection in Africa either. For the wider picture, see international trademark registration from the UAE.
Four routes to trademark protection in Africa
There are four routes: an OAPI filing for its 17 member states, an ARIPO application designating Banjul Protocol states, national filings in individual countries, and Madrid designations from your UAE trademark for African Madrid members, including OAPI. Most businesses need a mix, chosen market by market from where they sell and distribute.
| OAPI | ARIPO (Banjul Protocol) | National filing | Madrid designation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countries | All 17 member states | Any of the 13 Banjul states | One per filing | African Madrid members, including OAPI |
| Choose countries? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Who examines | OAPI (estimated: mainly a formal check) | Each designated state, within 6 months | The national office | Each designated office |
| Opposition window | 3 months from publication | 3 months from publication in the ARIPO Marks Journal | Varies by country | Varies by office |
| Representation | An agent in a member state, for applicants outside OAPI | A representative, for applicants outside Banjul states | Confirmed per country | Often a local agent to answer refusals |
| Main risk | All or nothing | National acceptance | Separate costs and renewals | Depends on the UAE mark for 5 years |
Madrid filings go through the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET), based on your UAE trademark, whether still an application or registered.
OAPI trademark registration: one filing, 17 member states
OAPI has 17 member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo. One OAPI registration covers all of them automatically. You cannot choose individual countries, and there is no separate national route in those states.
- “Congo” means the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville). The DR Congo is outside OAPI and needs a national filing.
- OAPI is based in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and Annex III of the Bangui Agreement acts as each member state’s trademark law.
- Applicants based outside OAPI file through an agent in a member state, and one application can cover several classes.
- Third parties can oppose within 3 months of publication. Estimated: OAPI examines applications mainly for formal compliance, so owners need to watch for and oppose conflicting filings.
- Registration lasts 10 years from filing and is renewed in the last year, with a 6-month grace period.
- OAPI has been in the Madrid System since 5 March 2015, so a Madrid application from the UAE can designate it.
ARIPO trademark registration under the Banjul Protocol
Through ARIPO you can designate any of the 13 Banjul Protocol states: Botswana, Cabo Verde, Eswatini, The Gambia, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe (ARIPO list, checked 22 October 2026). Each designated state examines the application under its own law and can refuse it within 6 months.
National acceptance matters
An ARIPO registration takes effect in each designated country according to its national law, so for some countries we may recommend a national filing as well. On 26 September 2025, Tanzania’s Court of Appeal held that ARIPO marks designating Tanzania have no legal effect there unless the Banjul Protocol is made part of Tanzanian law. Until that changes, we advise a national filing for Tanzania. We check the current position for each designated state before you file.
- ARIPO, based in Harare, registers marks under the Banjul Protocol on Marks, adopted on 19 November 1993.
- Only Banjul Protocol states can be designated for marks. Kenya and Ghana, for example, are ARIPO members but not Banjul parties for marks.
- If a designated state does not reply within the 6 months, the application is accepted for that state.
- Applicants based outside Banjul states need a representative, and oppositions are due within 3 months of publication in the ARIPO Marks Journal.
- Registration lasts 10 years from filing, with a 6-month grace period for late renewal at a surcharge.
African markets that need their own filing
South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Angola and the DR Congo are outside OAPI and the Banjul Protocol, so each needs its own protection. Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Kenya and Ghana can be designated through Madrid. South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Angola and the DR Congo need a direct national filing.
Madrid status: WIPO members list, checked 22 October 2026. The table covers major markets only; we confirm the route for any other country.
Get your Africa route plan
ell us where you sell and distribute. We map each market to OAPI, ARIPO, Madrid or a national filing, with costs.
How much does trademark registration in Africa cost?
ARIPO’s 2026 official fees are USD 160 to file online, plus USD 50 per designated state for the first class and USD 150 per state to register the first class, with extra-class fees on top. OAPI can be designated through Madrid for CHF 503 for the first class (WIPO, October 2026). Professional and local agent fees are separate.
ARIPO official fees (Banjul Protocol, 2026 schedule)
Illustration, official ARIPO fees only: one class designating five states costs USD 160 + (5 x USD 50) + (5 x USD 150) = USD 1,160.
Government fee and professional fee, one class
Professional fees: estimated until your quote confirms the exact fee and what it covers, including the registration stage. Costs rise with each state and class, and with local agent fees, translations, oppositions and renewals.
Choosing the right mix for your business
We plan Africa the way we plan every market, in three stages: your initial need (current sales, distributor and franchise markets, and any sourcing countries), then expansion markets, then longer-term growth. See how we plan international filings in stages.
The questions that set the mix:
- Where do you sell now, and through whom: distributors, franchisees or online?
- Which of those markets are OAPI states? One filing covers all 17, including ones you do not sell in yet.
- Which are Banjul states? Designate only those you need, and consider a national filing for Tanzania.
- Which are outside both systems, and which of those are in Madrid?
- Is your UAE mark a stable base for Madrid in its first five years?
Documents a UAE company needs
- The mark, the goods and services to cover, and applicant details matching your trade license.
- For applicants outside each system, an agent in an OAPI member state or an ARIPO representative.
- Estimated: a signed power of attorney, usually without notarization or legalization, for OAPI and ARIPO filings.
- National filings vary by country. The UAE is not in the Apostille Convention, so certified UAE documents may need consular legalization.
After registration: oppositions, use, renewals and enforcement
- Oppositions: conflicting OAPI and ARIPO filings can be opposed within 3 months of publication, and Gatestone handles the opposition.
- Use: in OAPI, a court can cancel a mark that has not been used for 5 uninterrupted years.
- Renewals every 10 years: OAPI in the last year, with a 6-month grace period; ARIPO with a 6-month grace period at a surcharge, and a renewal fee for each designated state.
- Enforcement: border action and market action are separate steps in each country, and the authorities decide each case.
Selling in Europe too? Read about registering across the EU as well.
- Why choose us
Why work with Gatestone on trademarks in Africa
Trademark registration protects more than a name or logo.
It protects the identity, reputation, and trust your business is building in the market. The right support helps you check availability, choose the right class, prepare the correct documents, submit the application properly, and manage the process until registration is complete.
Gatestone Group helps you approach trademark registration in a structured way, so your brand protection journey is clearer, smoother, and easier to manage.
Consultation first
a route for each market, agreed with you before filing
One team for your UAE base mark
Africa and your other markets, and for oppositions after filing, through our international trademark registration service.
Our Headquarter
Offices in Dubai, Riyadh and London.
Transparency
Official fees and our fees on separate lines in every quote.
How long does trademark registration in Africa take?
Estimated timeline: around 4 to 6 months for a straightforward OAPI application and around 12 months for ARIPO. In ARIPO, each designated state has 6 months to examine and refuse, and third parties have 3 months to oppose after publication. OAPI also has a 3-month opposition window, and Madrid designations can take 12 or 18 months to clear.
Searching ARIPO and OAPI trademark databases
OAPI and ARIPO each publish an online trademark database, and ARIPO offers an official availability search for USD 100. Treat results as a starting point. They do not cover countries outside each system, which keep their own national registers, and a clear result does not guarantee acceptance.
- WIPO’s Global Brand Database also searches marks from many national offices.
- We review the results for each market in your plan before you file.
- Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between OAPI and ARIPO?
Which countries does an OAPI trademark cover?
Which countries can I designate through ARIPO?
Can one filing protect my trademark in every African country?
How much does it cost to register a trademark through ARIPO or OAPI?
How long does ARIPO or OAPI registration take?
How do I search the ARIPO or OAPI trademark database?
What happens if my application is refused in one country?
Can I extend my UAE trademark to Africa through the Madrid Protocol?
How do I renew an OAPI trademark, and do I need to use it?
Plan your Africa filings with one team
We map each market to the right route and quote official fees and our fees on separate lines.
- Testimonials
What Clients Say About Us
Entrepreneurs, brand owners, and companies choose Gatestone Group because they want clear advice, careful document support, and a smoother trademark registration experience in the UAE.
Mahmood and his team at Gatestone Group where helping a few of my clients with their business in Dubai and their service and communication...
I have had an outstanding experience working with Gatestone for the registration of two business entities in the UAE. From the initial consultation ....