20 November marked the official opening of the 47th Session of the ARIPO Administrative Council, hosted by the Government of the Republic of Botswana at the Hotel 430 in Gaborone.
The 47th Session was officially opened by Hon. Mmusi Kgafela, Botswana's Minister of Trade and Industry. The ceremony was graced by a prestigious list of speakers, including: The outgoing Chairperson of the Administrative Council of ARIPO, Mr. Willie Mushayi; The Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority of Botswana, Mr. Tshiamo Motsumi; The Caretaker CEO of the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority of Botswana, Mr. Joel Duke Ramaphoi; The Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office / Office de la propriété intellectuelle du Canada, Mr. Georgaras Konstantinos; The Deputy Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Authority, Mr. LU Pengqi; The representative of the EUIPO - European Union Intellectual Property Office, AfrIPI Team Leader, Ms. @Aida Galindo; The representative of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) (UPOV), Mr. Leontino Taveira; and The representative of OAPI, Mrs. Mercy Masok.
The Administrative Council concludes on 23rd November, ahead of the 19th Council of Ministers Session.
His Excellency the President, Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, will deliver the keynote address at the opening of the 19th Session of the Council of Ministers on the 24th of November, 2023.
The Session is attended by the #ARIPOMemberStates, Observer States, Cooperating Partners and IP Agents.