The African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO) is an international organization created in December, 1976 with the conclusion of the Lusaka Agreement. ARIPO (African Regional Intellectual Property Organization) was formed by members of certain English-speaking African nations. The organization offers the applicants to file a single application for the protection of a trademark in the countries which are a party to the agreement whereby the ARIPO was created. According to Lusaka Agreement that created ARIPO, membership in the Organization is for the States which are members of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) or of the African Union (AU).
There are currently following states which are party to the Lusaka Agreement and therefore members of ARIPO:
- Botswana
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Sierra Leone
- Liberia
- Rwanda
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Swaziland
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Seventeen out of the 19 ARIPO Member States are currently Harare Protocol Contracting States and are also signatory to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) governed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
