The European Union has added the iconic African rooibos (red bush) tea to its register of products with a protected designation of origin, like champagne, prosciutto di Parma, and feta. It is the first African product to receive such status in the EU.

This kind of recognition of intellectual property could be Africa’s next big development opportunity by repositioning key export products to bring countries a much fairer share of what consumers outside Africa eventually pay for these goods. And it is just the latest example in a quiet trend.