President Danny Faure received a delegation from the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO)  ARIPO and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) at State House this morning. The delegation comprised of the Director General of ARIPO Mr Fernando dos Santos, the Programme Officer for the Regional Bureau for Africa, WIPO, Ms Julieta Nhane and Intellectual Property Law Consultant and Attorney, Mr Getachew Mengistie.

The ARIPO and WIPO delegation are in Seychelles for a high-level consultation and national seminar on intellectual property organized by WIPO in collaboration with the Government of Seychelles at Avani Resort, Barbarons tomorrow, Tuesday 2 July.

President Faure welcomed the delegation to State House and thanked them on behalf of the Government of Seychelles for their visit to Seychelles, and the numerous instances of assistance received from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) over the years. He also expressed his wish that Seychelles continues to benefit from their technical support, saying, “We are grateful for the continued cooperation and support from ARIPO, and for ensuring that Seychelles is involved in regional IP deliberations as we look toward enhancing our relations for greater regional integration,” said President Faure.

Speaking to the press after the courtesy call with the President, Mr Santos described the meeting as very positive and fruitful, whereby key concerns for Seychelles in relation to the protection of intellectual property were highlighted, and various legal frameworks and policy tools available to Seychelles from ARIPO and WIPO noted. Other areas of cooperation and assistance discussed also included capacity building and technical exchanges.

Also present at State House for the meeting this morning was the  Registrar General, Mrs Wendy Pierre, the Director General for Trade Division at the Ministry of Finance, Trade, Investment and Economic Planning (MOFTIEP), Mr Ashik Hassan, and Senior Trade Officer, Trade Division, Ms Audrine Dine.