The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has signed an Accelerated Patent Grant (APG) arrangement with Ghana's intellectual property office — the Registrar General's Department of the Ministry of Justice (GHIPO) — marking the first such arrangement between the USPTO and an African country.

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director John A. Squires and the Registrar-General of Ghana, Grace Issahaque, signed the statement of intent on July 9, 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland, on the margins of the annual Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The agreement with Ghana is the tenth such arrangement signed by the USPTO with a partner intellectual property office.

Under the APG process, an eligible patent applicant who has been granted a U.S. patent by the USPTO may request that GHIPO grant a patent on a corresponding Ghanaian patent application pending before it. The work-sharing arrangement will run for five years from the date of signing. Guidelines describing GHIPO's implementation of the program, and how U.S. patent holders can take advantage of it, will be published on GHIPO's website.

'The USPTO is committed to building its relationships with IP offices in Africa,' Under Secretary Squires said, noting that the signing builds on last year's installation of the USPTO's first-ever intellectual property attache for the region, Katherine Hiner, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Following the signing, Squires delivered welcome remarks at a WIPO Assemblies side event with the U.S. Mission and Universal Music Group under the 'IP for Growth Initiative,' which featured a panel discussion and performances by African musicians and U.S. artist John Legend.

Ghana is one of Africa's faster-growing economies, with a gross domestic product of about USD 114 billion in 2025. According to WIPO, 33 percent of foreign patent applications filed in Ghana in 2024 originated with U.S.-based filers. The arrangement is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of Ghana's patent examination process by reducing processing time while maintaining the country's intellectual property standards.

Original Link: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-becomes-first-african-country-to-sign-accelerated-patent-grant-deal-with-us.html