The Minister of State in charge of Culture, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, representing Prime Minister Dr. Apollinaire Kyelem of Tambèla, said on Saturday that industrial designs are strategic levers for consolidating the industrial fabric in the space of the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI).
“Industrial designs and models are not only aesthetic creations, but strategic levers for the consolidation of our industrial fabric in the OAPI space,” said the Minister of State in charge of Culture, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, representing Prime Minister Dr Apollinaire Kyelem of Tambèla.
For him, companies can prosper, stand out and contribute to sustainable development by protecting innovation and encouraging creativity.
The Minister of State spoke on Saturday in Ouagadougou at an international conference on industrial designs and models, as part of the 17th edition of the SIAO.
Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo recalled that crafts, textiles and design are sectors with strong economic potential.
T
he head of the Department of Culture also specified that these sectors will make it possible to establish a strategy to increase the added value of economic activities and make them levers for development.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors (PCA) of OAPI, Thierry Patrick Akoloza, indicated that the consideration of the “intellectual property” dimension in crafts is increasingly strong in developing countries, faced with significant challenges in terms of product differentiation based on design.
“The aesthetic appearance attached to a product or merchandise constitutes a fundamental criterion for market conquest,” the PCA stressed.
Mr. Akoloza also added that industrial designs, as marketing tools, are invaluable assets that must be encouraged to enable States to take advantage of the competitive advantages they have.
The OAPI PCA deplored the fact that the protection of creations does not live up to the potential, while the number of industrial design filings remains low, with a ratio of less than 25
applications per country.
OAPI Director General Denis Bohoussou noted that industrial designs are an essential link for crafts and industry.
According to Mr. Bohoussou, their promotion will create added value for the populations who make important objects available to the public.
“The state of industrial designs and models is not satisfactory in view of the creative potential of our artisans,” he maintained.
Established in September 1962, OAPI is a regional organization covering 17 countries in West and Central Africa, with headquarters in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Source: Burkina Information Agency