Africa Update 2020 – São Tomé And Príncipe – Energy and Natural Resources

Visit of the register

Adams & Adams partner in Mozambique, Elio Teixeira, traveled to São Tomé in São Tomé and Principe in November 2019 to meet with the Registrar of the National Service of Intellectual Property and Quality (SENAPIQ), Mr. Domingos da Silva da Trindade. We were encouraged to learn about the Registry Computerization Project, supported by WIPO, which aims to create an electronic database of Registry archives. The goal is to complete the project in the first quarter of 2020. Completion of the project is expected to improve the timeliness, accuracy and quality of registration certificates. The Register now publishes reviews quarterly, an improvement over the 3 editions published annually in the past.

MAIN OPPORTUNITIES AND CONCERNS

Opportunities

• Productive agricultural land is well managed for profitable exports
• The tourism sector has good growth potential
• Discoveries of offshore oil and natural gas reserves can kick-start a local energy sector

Concerns

• Fluctuating commodity prices can destabilize cocoa and coffee exports as well as future oil and gas exports
• The isolation of the islands off West Africa has made the country often invisible to commercial investors and tourists.
• Poor rural infrastructure hinders economic and social growth

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