PCT NATIONAL PHASE ENTRY
Ghana

Ghana has been a Contracting Party to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property since September 28, 1976, and a Contracting Party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) since February 26, 1997. Additionally, Ghana is a signatory to the Patent Law Treaty (PLT) and is a member of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO). The primary legislation governing Ghana's patent law is the Patents Act, 2003 (Act 657), which replaced the 1992 Patent Act. This law provides the framework for protecting inventions and related matters, with the issuance of patents managed by the Patents Office under the Registrar General's Department.

The national phase in Ghana must be entered within 30 months from the priority date.

The official language for patent applications in the Ghana is English. If the application is filed in another language, an English translation must be submitted within three months from the national phase entry date.

In Ghana, there is no specific provision for extending the filing deadline for a patent application.

The key documents required for filing a national phase application in Ghana are as follows:

• Power of Attorney: In Ghana, a simply signed Power of Attorney (POA) for patent applications may be submitted either at the time of filing or within two months from the filing date.

There is no cost exemption available for filing patent application in Ghana.

A request for examination of a patent application in Ghana must be submitted with the application or within 3 years from the filing date, along with the required search and examination fees.

Renewal fees for a patent application in Ghana must be paid annually in advance, beginning the year following the filing date, and must be settled before the end of the preceding patent year. There is a grace period of six months after the due date, but a surcharge applies for late payment.

In Ghana, the term of a patent lasts 20 years from the filing date of the application.

In the GII 2024, Ghana excels in areas such as Institutions (71st), Business Sophistication (76th), and Creative Outputs (79th). The country’s key innovation strengths include exports of cultural and creative services as a percentage of total trade (ranked 10th), firms providing formal training (ranked 20th), and GDP per unit of energy use (ranked 24th). The 2024 GII emphasizes the global state of social entrepreneurship and the role of innovation in driving positive change, offering policy recommendations to unlock the sector’s full potential. Ghana ranks 94th in innovation outputs.

Ghana's economy is largely driven by its rich natural resources, including gold, cocoa, and oil, alongside its political stability and democratic governance, which both play a key role in fostering growth and development. The country has experienced periods of economic expansion, fuelled by its natural resources and investments in infrastructure and other sectors. Ghana's economy is becoming more diversified, with growing contributions from tourism and manufacturing. Operating as a constitutional democracy with a multi-party system and regular elections, Ghana enjoys political stability, creating a favourable environment for economic progress.