Multi-national African entity that provides collective filing and examination services for patents and trademarks for 19 African member state countries, including Botswana, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. At the time of writing a number of further countries have observer status as may be considering joining. ARIPO is primarily an Anglophone and Lusophone (Portuguese speaking) African organisation, while the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle or OAPI is primarily Francophone African (i.e., French speaking.)