Ghana has become the first African country to sign an Accelerated Patent Grant (APG) arrangement with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), marking a significant milestone in intellectual property cooperation between the two countries.
The statement of intent was signed on July 9 in Geneva, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Assemblies by the United States Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the USPTO, John A. Squires, and Ghana’s Registrar-General, Grace Issahaque.
The agreement, concluded between the USPTO, Ghana’s Intellectual Property Office (GHIPO), the Registrar General’s Department and the Ministry of Justice, is the first APG arrangement the USPTO has signed with an African country and the tenth with an intellectual property office worldwide.
Commenting on the agreement, Under Secretary Squires said the partnership reflects the USPTO’s commitment to strengthening intellectual property cooperation across Africa.
“The USPTO is committed to building its relationships with IP offices in Africa,” he said in a statement published on the agency’s website.
“With the signing of this agreement with Ghana, we are building on that commitment, which took a big step forward last year with the installation of the USPTO’s first-ever intellectual property attaché for the region, Katherine Hiner, in Johannesburg, South Africa,” he added.
Under the Accelerated Patent Grant programme, applicants who have already secured a U.S. patent from the USPTO may request an accelerated grant of a corresponding patent application pending before Ghana’s Intellectual Property Office.
The work-sharing arrangement will remain in force for five years from the date of signing.
According to the USPTO, implementation guidelines and details on how eligible U.S. patent holders can access the programme will soon be published on GHIPO’s official website.
Following the signing ceremony, Under Secretary Squires addressed the IP for Growth Initiative, a side event organised during the WIPO Assemblies by the U.S. Mission and Universal Music Group.
The event featured a panel discussion and musical performances by African artists alongside American musician John Legend.
During the discussion, the USPTO’s intellectual property attaché for Africa, Katherine Hiner, highlighted the importance of strong cross-border intellectual property protection in supporting innovation and the creative economy.
“In today’s global marketplace, rights holders need to have good, consistent laws that protect IP across borders,” she said.
She added that achieving this requires continuous investment in staff training, modern equipment, procedural reviews and sustained engagement with rights holders.
According to the USPTO, Ghana’s growing economy and increasing innovation landscape make it a strategic partner for intellectual property cooperation. The agency noted that Ghana’s gross domestic product reached approximately $114 billion in 2025, while data from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) shows that 33 per cent of all foreign patent applications filed in Ghana in 2024 originated from U.S.-based applicants.
The agreement is expected to improve the efficiency of Ghana’s patent examination process by reducing processing times while maintaining the country’s intellectual property standards.
