Africa celebrates its first brand licensing trade show in Abidjan

The first edition of the Brands Licensing Africa trade show took place this week (23-24 October) at the Abidjan Exhibition Center.

The historic event for the African continent was organised by Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Côte d’Ivoire, in collaboration with Maison de l’Afrique and Licensing International.

The official opening took place in the presence of prominent personalities including Dr. Souleymane Diarrassouba, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Mr. Blé Guirao, representative of the President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council.

The two-day trade show coincided with the 50th anniversary of Maison de l’Afrique, an organisation bringing together 11 Chambers of Commerce and chaired by Mr. Touré Faman, also president of the CCI-CI. The initiative is part of the structural transformation policy of the Ivorian economy, led by Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé.

A highlight of the event was the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the CCI-CI and the Ivorian Intellectual Property Office (OIPI). The agreement aims to support Ivorian businesses, particularly SMEs/SMIs, VSEs and start-ups, in securing and promoting their brands.

The opening day was marked by a conference on the theme ‘Brand Licensing, an Opportunity for Africa’, followed by training workshops and thematic conferences on corporate branding.

Maura Regan, president of Licensing International, shared insights into and research on the global brand licensing industry as part of the conference. Participants could also discover exhibition sales and promotions of various products throughout the trade show.

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