Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) Registrar General Bemanya Twebaze has been elected as Director General of African Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement revealed that Bemanya was elected by the Administrative Council of ARIPO during its 44th session in Harare, Zimbabwe on 17th November 2020 and will becomethe fifth Director General.

“Thank you to the Administrative Council of ARIPO for entrusting me to lead ARIPO for the next four years. I will give my best energy to make meaningful transformations at ARIPO,” said Bemanya Twebaze at the close of the voting on November 17, 2020.

Bemanya will be the sixth DG at the ARIPO Secretariat following the current and outgoing DG, Dr. Fernando dos Santos from Mozambique, whose eight-year term ends 31 December 2020.

Congratulating Bemanya, President Yoweri Museveni said, “Congratulations to Mr Bemanya Twebaze upon his election as the next Director General of the African Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO). He is the second Ugandan to occupy this position. I thank the Foreign Affairs Ministry that oversaw the lobbying.”.

ARIPO in an inter-governmental organization (IGO) established by the Lusaka Agreement of 1976 – facilitate development and protection of intellectual property rights in member states.

ARIPO facilitates cooperation among member states in intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights, utility models, industrial designs, plant varieties, traditional knowledge, and folklore expression and geographical indications) matters, with the objective of pooling financial and human resources, and seeking technological advancement for economic, social, technological, scientific and industrial development.

ARIPO has 20 member states; Botswana, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi,Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Seirra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Mauritius, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.