ARIPO Welcomes WIPO Director General on Historic Visit to Harare

ARIPO today hosted the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Mr. Daren Tang, at its Headquarters in Harare. Mr. Tang led a high-level delegation that included WIPO Deputy Director General for Regional and National Development Sector, Mr. Hasan Kleib, and Director of the WIPO Africa Bureau, Ms. Lorretta Asiedu. The delegation was warmly welcomed by ARIPO Director General, Mr. Bemanya Twebaze, in a visit that marks a significant milestone in ARIPO–WIPO cooperation.

In his remarks, the ARIPO Director General underscored the historic nature of the visit, noting that it comes nearly two decades after the last visit of a WIPO head to ARIPO. “This visit is therefore historic – it is taking place almost two decades since the last visit of a top WIPO leader. Indeed, it was in February 2006 when the then WIPO Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris, came to the ARIPO Headquarters in Harare for the inauguration of ARIPO’s new office block,” he said.

Mr. Twebaze commended Mr. Tang for deepening WIPO’s engagement with ARIPO Member States, potential Member States, and African countries at large. He highlighted several initiatives supported under Mr. Tang’s leadership, including the strengthening of the TISC Network, the HIPOC Conference, and youth and SME empowerment programmes; the WIPO–ARIPO IP School Club Project; and support for Master’s in Intellectual Property (MIP) programmes in Ghana, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe through scholarships. He noted that the visit coincides with the practical phase of the 2025 Africa University MIP Programme, taking place at ARIPO and culminating in the annual MIP Conference.

The ARIPO DG also acknowledged Mr. Tang’s high-level visits to ARIPO Member States across the continent, including Botswana, Cabo Verde, Lesotho, Kenya, Namibia, Ghana and now Zimbabwe, to advance IP-led development.

Addressing ARIPO Staff members during the visit, Mr. Tang reaffirmed WIPO’s commitment to supporting African countries in developing intellectual property systems that work for their economies, ensuring that IP functions as a driver of sustainable economic growth. He reiterated WIPO’s strong support for ARIPO, echoing the pledge he made at the recent 20th Session of the ARIPO Council of Ministers and emphasizing that WIPO values the long-standing partnership.

Mr. Tang also took the opportunity to address the 18th cohort of the Africa University Master’s in Intellectual Property Programme, who were present at the engagement. He spoke highly of the cohort and praised the impact that past graduates continue to make in their communities and in the SME sector across Africa. He pledged to do even more to support the programme and its students. The MIP is delivered through the partnership of ARIPO, WIPO, Africa University, and the Japan Funds-in-Trust.

The visit was also supported by senior Government of Zimbabwe officials, including the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Vimbai Nyemba, and the Chief Registrar of the national IP office, Mr. Willie Mushayi, who expressed strong support for the occasion and for Zimbabwe’s ongoing collaboration with ARIPO and WIPO.

Reflecting on ARIPO’s progress, Mr. Twebaze noted that December 2026 will mark ARIPO’s 50th anniversary, five decades of shaping the IP landscape in Africa. Over the years, ARIPO has emerged as a central institution in promoting innovation and creativity by providing a unified system for the administration of IP rights and by driving capacity-building initiatives across the continent. The upcoming anniversary will serve as a platform to highlight ARIPO’s contributions, engage stakeholders, and reaffirm the organization’s commitment to a strong and accessible IP ecosystem.

Mr Twebaze affirmed ARIPO’s desire to celebrate this milestone with WIPO as a key cooperating partner, an invitation which Mr Tang accepted. The DGs reiterated the readiness to continue working closely on initiatives to harness intellectual property as a transformative tool for the sustainable development of ARIPO Member States and the African continent.