Industrial design protection in Africa cannot be secured through a single filing, but three routes cover most of the continent’s key markets. The Hague System reaches the 17 member states of OAPI, plus Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Ghana and five other African countries; ARIPO’s Harare Protocol covers 20 states, including Kenya; and South Africa and Nigeria require national filings. This guide is for European and Latin American companies planning to launch products in Africa and wanting to know which route reaches which market.
Key takeaways
- One Hague international application can designate OAPI, which gives a single title for 17 countries, together with Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and other African members of the Geneva Act.
- South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya are not in the Hague System, and ARIPO as an organisation is not a member either.
- ARIPO’s Harare Protocol lets one application designate up to 20 states, with each designated state able to object within six months.
- Terms vary: 15 years at OAPI, 25 in Morocco, 10 or 15 in South Africa depending on the type of design.
- Since 1 January 2025 only the 1999 Geneva Act can be used for new Hague designations.
Which African countries can you reach through the Hague System?
The Hague System is WIPO’s international design registration system: one application designating several contracting parties. Since the freeze of the 1960 Act took effect on 1 January 2025 (WIPO, November 2024), new designations can only be made under the 1999 Geneva Act. According to WIPO’s status table of the Hague Agreement (status on 14 July 2026), the African parties to the Geneva Act are:
- the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), since 2008;
- Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Tunisia.
Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Mali, Niger and Senegal joined only the 1960 Act, so they can no longer be designated individually. All six are OAPI members, however, and a designation of OAPI covers them.
Comparing the routes into Africa
| Route | Countries covered | How it works | Term of protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| OAPI (direct or by Hague designation) | 17 states of West and Central Africa and the Comoros | One unitary title under the Bangui Agreement | 5 years, renewable twice: 15 years |
| Hague designation of individual countries | Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Ghana, Botswana, Namibia, Rwanda, Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe | One international application; each office may refuse | Per country: for example, 25 years in Morocco, 20 in Mauritius, 15 in Egypt, Tunisia and Ghana |
| ARIPO (Harare Protocol) | 20 contracting states, including Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe | One application with designations; each state has 6 months to object | 15 years, or the shorter national term |
| National filing | South Africa, Nigeria and any market outside the systems above | Local application through a local agent | South Africa: 15 (aesthetic) or 10 (functional); Nigeria: 15 |
The maximum terms for Hague designations come from WIPO’s table of declarations by contracting parties (latest revision August 2025).
OAPI: one design title for 17 countries
OAPI’s members are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo, as listed on the OAPI website. There are no national design offices in these countries: the Bangui Agreement (Act of 14 December 2015) gives OAPI’s registrations effect in every member state.
Annex IV of the Agreement sets the main rules. A design must be new, with absolute novelty worldwide and a 12-month grace period for certain disclosures. One filing can include up to 100 designs, all in the same Locarno class. Publication can be deferred for up to 12 months, third parties can oppose within three months of publication, and protection lasts five years, renewable for two further five-year periods. A Hague designation of OAPI has the same effect as a direct filing (Article 12(3)); WIPO’s individual fees table (April 2026) sets OAPI’s fee at CHF 73 for a single deposit and CHF 110 for a multiple deposit.
ARIPO: the Harare Protocol for East and Southern Africa
The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) registers designs under the Harare Protocol. According to ARIPO, its 20 contracting states for designs are Botswana, Cabo Verde, Eswatini, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Applicants not resident in a contracting state must be represented.
Under Section 4 of the Harare Protocol (2023 edition), ARIPO checks formalities and notifies the designated states, which have six months to declare that the registration will have no effect in their territory. ARIPO then registers the design for the states that did not object, for 15 years from filing or the shorter term under a state’s national law. ARIPO is not a Hague member, so this route requires a separate application.
South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya: national routes
- South Africa: designs are registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) under the Designs Act 1993. The South African government distinguishes aesthetic designs, protected for 15 years, from functional designs, protected for 10, with annual renewals from the third year.
- Nigeria: the Patents and Designs Registry applies the Patents and Designs Act. The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment states that a design is valid for five years from application, with two five-year renewals totalling 15, and that it must be new.
- Kenya: you can file nationally with the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI), whose registrations are effective only in Kenya, or designate Kenya through ARIPO.
What this means for your business
For a European company, a practical sequence is often an EU design or a Hague application designating the EU, with OAPI, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia added to the same international application, followed by an ARIPO application for East and Southern Africa and national filings in South Africa and Nigeria. Hague’s basic fee is CHF 397 for one design plus CHF 50 for each additional design, plus publication and designation fees (WIPO Schedule of Fees, as in force on 1 July 2026).
- List the products and the African markets where they will be sold, manufactured or imported.
- Check novelty before launching: OAPI requires worldwide novelty, so an early launch in Europe can count against you.
- Combine routes: Hague for North Africa and OAPI; ARIPO for its member states; national filings for the rest.
- Align renewals: five-year cycles at OAPI and in Nigeria, annual fees in South Africa.
Our team handling international industrial design protection for Africa, Europe and Latin America can map these routes for your product range.
Where companies get this wrong
- Assuming the Hague System covers Africa. It does not reach South Africa, Nigeria or Kenya.
- Trying to designate Senegal or Côte d’Ivoire individually. Since the 1960 Act freeze, they are reached through OAPI.
- Losing novelty. Selling or publishing the design long before filing can destroy novelty where the grace period is short or does not apply to that disclosure.
- Filing OAPI multiple applications across classes. Under Annex IV all designs in one filing must share a Locarno class.
- Letting a distributor file locally. A design registered in a partner’s name is hard to recover; our IP disputes team handles recovery, but prevention is cheaper.
Frequently asked questions
Can I protect a design in South Africa through the Hague System?
No. South Africa is not a party to the Hague Agreement, so a Hague international application cannot designate it. You need a national application with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, through a local agent. Aesthetic designs are protected for 15 years and functional designs for 10, subject to renewal fees.
How long does an OAPI design registration last?
Under Annex IV of the Bangui Agreement, an OAPI design registration lasts five years from filing and can be renewed for two further consecutive five-year periods, for a maximum of 15 years. Renewal fees are paid in the 12 months before expiry, with a six-month grace period subject to a surcharge.
What is the best route to protect a design in Kenya?
Kenya can be covered either by a national application with the Kenya Industrial Property Institute or by designating Kenya in an ARIPO application under the Harare Protocol. ARIPO suits companies that need several East and Southern African countries at once; a national filing suits a single-market launch.
Can IP Global Guard coordinate design filings across Africa?
Yes. We prepare the Hague application, including OAPI and North African designations, and coordinate local correspondents for ARIPO, South Africa, Nigeria and other national offices. You get one strategy, one renewal calendar and one point of contact for Africa, Europe and Latin America.
How IP Global Guard can help you enter Africa
Africa is part of our everyday corridor between Europe, Latin America and Africa. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, files designs before the EUIPO and the OEPM and through the Hague System, directly where our professionals are entitled to act and otherwise through qualified representatives, and coordinates local correspondents across more than 25 jurisdictions in our international coverage.
Send us your product images and the African countries where you plan to sell or manufacture. We will propose the combination of Hague, OAPI, ARIPO and national filings, with an estimate of official fees. Contact our design team.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and does not replace an assessment of your specific case.
Sources
- WIPO, Hague Agreement: status of contracting parties (status on 14 July 2026)
- WIPO, The Assembly of the Hague Union freezes the application of the Hague Act (1960) (22 November 2024)
- WIPO, Hague System: declarations by contracting parties (latest revision August 2025)
- WIPO, Hague System Schedule of Fees (as in force on 1 July 2026)
- WIPO, Individual fees under the Hague Agreement (last update April 2026)
- OAPI, official website (member states)
- OAPI, Bangui Agreement, Act of 14 December 2015 (English version)
- ARIPO, Industrial design
- ARIPO, Harare Protocol on Patents and Industrial Designs (2023 edition)
- South African Government, Register a design
- Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (Nigeria), Department of Patents and Designs
- Kenya Industrial Property Institute, Industrial design
