USPTO Expands Global Patent Cooperation with First Accelerated Patent Grant Partnership in Africa

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently expanded its international patent cooperation efforts by entering its first Accelerated Patent Grant (APG) partnership with an African intellectual property office. The agreement, signed on July 9 during the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Assemblies in Geneva, establishes a new framework for cooperation between the USPTO and Ghana's Registrar General's Department, Ministry of Justice (GHIPO).

The Statement of Intent was executed by the USPTO Director and the Ghana Registrar General and is scheduled to continue for five years. With this, Ghana becomes the tenth jurisdiction to participate in the USPTO's APG program and the first on the African continent.

As innovation has become increasingly global, inventors frequently pursue patent protection in multiple countries for the same invention. That trend has placed growing demands on patent offices worldwide, which must often conduct separate examinations of applications that are nearly identical. Rising filing volumes, increasingly sophisticated technologies, expanding collections of prior art, and finite examination resources have all contributed to the need for greater international cooperation.

Patent worksharing seeks to address these challenges by allowing participating patent offices to make use of examination work already completed by a trusted partner office. Rather than duplicating efforts, offices can leverage existing search results and examination findings while continuing to apply their own national patent laws.

For applicants, these programs can reduce both the time and expense associated with securing patent rights abroad. Patent offices also benefit through more efficient use of examiner resources, access to specialized technical expertise, and broader consideration of prior art, including references available in different languages. Collectively, these advantages can contribute to both faster examination and stronger patent quality.

While international collaboration has historically centered on the IP5, the world's five largest patent offices, expanding innovation ecosystems in developing markets have increased interest in extending worksharing arrangements to additional jurisdictions. Ghana's participation reflects that broader evolution in the global intellectual property landscape.

The USPTO currently administers several worksharing initiatives, including the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH), Parallel Patent Grant (PPG), and Accelerated Patent Grant (APG) programs, each designed to streamline examination for corresponding patent applications filed in multiple countries.

Under this new agreement with Ghana, an applicant that has already obtained a U.S. patent may request accelerated consideration of a corresponding patent application pending before Ghana's intellectual property office.

According to World Intellectual Property Organization data, US applicants accounted for approximately one third of all foreign patent filings submitted in Ghana during 2024. As Ghana's economy continues to expand and attract international investment, the new agreement is expected to provide additional benefits for U.S. companies seeking protection in the region.

Implementation details for Ghana's Accelerated Patent Grant program, including eligibility requirements and filing procedures, are expected to be published by GHIPO in the near future.