Bibliographie sélective OHADA

As technology continues to advance, more trade is moving online. The increase in digital trade brings with it both opportunities and challenges in the international trade field. The increase in digital trade could for instance result in a spike in digital trade imports which may subsequently cause or threaten to cause serious injury to domestic industries and platforms dealing in like or directly substitutable digital data/content and services. This would necessitate the application of safeguard measures to avert any such serious injury or threat to serious injury caused to the domestic industries and platforms. The procedure for applying safeguard measures to digital trade currently is unclear. The current legal framework on safeguard measures does not apply to digital trade despite increased digital trade over the years. Thus, this study explores the prospects and practical challenges relating to safeguard measures’ application to digital trade with a specific focus on African domestic industries and platforms. While domestic industries and platforms in any part of the world could be affected by surges in digital trade imports, Africa is in a precarious position. Intra-Africa digital trade volumes could be increased and disadvantages of African domestic industries and platforms by surges in digital trade imports could be prevented through regulation and judicious use of safeguard measures. This study established the need to regulate to tap into the potential of digital trade and prevent African industries and platforms from falling behind and from the disadvantage of market dominance by big techs from outside Africa. In conclusion, the study noted legal and institutional gaps in the application of safeguard measures to digital trade. The study has recommended that specific institutions at the global, continental and national levels take necessary actions to build a clear and robust framework for safeguard measures in digital trade.

In this Article, I analyze the expanding common law doctrine of shareholder ratification, whereby shareholder approval can, for all practical purposes, absolve directors of fiduciary liability for their conflicted business decisions. Delaware law now allows a shareholder vote to perform substantially more work than ever before. Under prevailing doctrine, in transactions between a company and any party other than a controlling shareholder, shareholder ratification reinstates the business judgment rule and makes it irrebuttable, other than for waste. Substantive judicial review is effectively avoided for such transactions. Despite its extraordinary importance in corporate governance, the shareholder ratification doctrine’s foundations are feeble and its limits uncertain. Theoretically, there is no well-established basis for equating shareholder approval with either the informed, disinterested, and good-faith decision of a board or judicial review. Doctrinally, shareholder ratification’s expansion beyond its traditional context of self-dealing has been a judicial innovation, rather than an elaboration of precedent. And historically, the shareholder ratification doctrine, which originated in early 20th-century state interesteddirector statutes, was motivated by fairness principles that were lost in translation into the common law. This Article recovers the fairness genealogy of the shareholder ratification doctrine and, in doing so, provides useful guidance for the doctrine’s development, limits, and future application.

This paper analyzes the effect of Basel III adapted to WAEMU on the behavior of banks in the zone (intermediation and market activities). After having developed a model for optimizing the return on bank equity, under various constraints (balance sheet constraints, Basel III regulatory constraints), we resort to linear programming via the Danzig simplex algorithm and to a structure of reasonable rates to obtain the optimal values of the various bank balance sheet items. The results, obtained by comparing these theoretical values with the values observed before Basel III (before January 1, 2018), show an increase in the supply of loans, obtained not only from deposits and bank refinancing but also via resources from the financial markets. We can also observe the intuitive result of an increase of bank reserves in line with the constraint that Basel III imposes on banks to increase their liquidity. In short, Basel III tends to strengthen bank financing in the zone, while improving the soundness of banks through the constitution of larger reserves.

The liability of land transport operators in Cameroon is guaranteed by a good number of laws including; the constitution of Cameroon, the penal code, the 2001 law governing the Profession of Road Transport Operators, the 2023 law governing the rail sector in Cameroon and more. Such liability can be under the Tort of negligence, vicarious liability, or strict liability as provided for under section 289(1) of the Cameroonian penal code on Unintentional killing. However, the laxity of the courts in handling accident-related disputes, the contradictory and vague nature of the laws on the liability regime and even the lenient nature of the sanctions provided for by these laws do not meet up with the rate of accidents today in Cameroon. This article therefore has as its objective to examine the effectiveness of the legal frameworks in the establishment of liability of land transport operators in cases of accidents in Cameroon. Arguably, the author holds that the legal frameworks establishing the liability of land transport operators in cases of an accident in Cameroon are ineffective. A doctrinal research method has been adopted where both primary and secondary sources of information have been consulted. Our finding reveals that; the ineffectiveness of legal frameworks in the establishment of the liability of land transport operators in cases of accidents is a result of the laxity of the courts in implementing the laws and, the vague and contradictor nature of the law. We, therefore, recommend that; separate court hearings should be set for accident-related disputes and judges trained only on that, the laws should be revised, the sanctions in cases of accidents should be increased and all mitigating circumstances in cases of accidents should not be taken into consideration like a first-time offender, the plea of guilt etc.

AI is well known today as a valuable tool that can improve our daily lives. In addition, it can improve the efficiency and productivity of many professions, such as the internal auditor. The research methodology is literature review. The primary objectives of the article are twofold: Firstly, to provide a comprehensive description of the institutional framework for the operation of AI internationally, and secondly, to examine the benefits that arise from the use of AI in internal audit units and organisations in general. The significance of the research lies in its examination of artificial intelligence (AI) as a valuable instrument in the arsenal of internal auditors. The findings suggest that AI has the potential to enhance the efficacy of internal audits, reduce the time required for their execution, reduce the frequency of internal audits, and, in general, optimise the operations of companies and organisations.

This thesis critically analyses Uganda’s bilateral investment treaty (BIT) system to determine its compatibility with sustainable development imperatives and proposes a new model BIT that aligns with Uganda’s evolving development priorities. Recognising the country’s reliance on foreign direct investment (FDI) for economic growth, this study interrogates the extent to which Uganda’s current BITs—many of which were concluded during earlier policymaking eras—expose the country to legal, economic, and regulatory risks. These include susceptibility to investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) claims, constraints on the host state’s right to regulate, and a lack of provisions promoting environmental, social, and developmental objectives. Through doctrinal and comparative legal analysis, the study traces the historical evolution of international investment law (IIL), critiques the limitations of Uganda’s domestic and treaty-based FDI frameworks, and identifies substantive and structural weaknesses in Uganda’s in-force and model BITs. The analysis also considers international reform efforts and best practices from new-generation investment agreements, including the AfCFTA Protocol on Investment, the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement, and the SADC and EAC Model BITs. Particular attention is paid to the South African BIT reform experience as a comparator for Uganda’s reform journey. The study finds that Uganda’s BIT system is outdated, overly protective of investors, and poorly aligned with its sustainable development goals (SDGs). It recommends terminating unratified and problematic BITs, renegotiating existing ones, and adopting a new model BIT that balances investor protection with Uganda’s regulatory autonomy and sustainable development objectives. To this end, a draft model BIT is proposed as an annex to guide future treaty negotiations and reform Uganda’s investment regime in line with contemporary global standards and regional aspirations.

This study interrogates the intersection of climate justice and litigation in the South African context. It addresses the urgent need for legal methods to address the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalised communities. As climate change has become one of the greatest global challenges, marginalised communities most keenly feel its impacts, particularly those historically disadvantaged by socioeconomic inequalities rooted in apartheid. What follows is a critical examination of the most important international climate frameworks, in particular the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (hereinafter UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, which have shaped the global discourse on climate change. The increasing recognition of the rights of historically marginalised and vulnerable communities underscores the potential role of climate litigation in achieving climate justice for all by holding both government and corporations accountable for their actions and lack thereof in mitigating climate change. The study examines the South African legal framework and recognises its progressive constitution that guarantees environmental rights. On the other hand, the study highlights significant barriers to effective climate action, particularly for the country’s most vulnerable, poor and marginalised populations, who often lack access to legal resources and skills needed for climate action. Using decided climate cases such as Earthlife Africa v. Minister of Environment, the study highlights the problems that plaintiffs often face when it comes to proving causation and the need for expert evidence in such litigation. Finally, the study concludes that while climate litigation offer opportunities for climate justice, the challenges identified need to be addressed to ensure the effectiveness of climate processes in achieving climate justice. The study therefore makes recommendations for strengthening legal aid, promoting public climate litigation and improving community capacity. By implementing these recommendations, climate justice will be achieved so that South Africa can effectively utilise climate litigation to demand climate justice for both current and future generations.

This article argues that the rule of contra proferentem is not applicable to international sales contracts governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). It further argues that the common recognition of the rule of contra proferentem under the CISG is an instance of a broader phenomenon which it calls ‘internationality overreach’. ‘Internationality overreach’ is the tendency to project onto the provisions of a uniform private law instrument doctrines and concepts which are inaccurately presumed to constitute universally recognised principles of private law or the ‘common core’ of various legal systems. This article demonstrates that internationality overreach disrupts the goals underpinning the harmonisation of commercial law in two ways: first, it undermines uniformity in the application of international conventions; and, second, it leads to outcomes that fall short of the agreement reached by the Contracting States during the drafting process. While this article focuses on the CISG, the argument developed in this article is of equal relevance to other uniform private law conventions which follow the principle of autonomous interpretation.

This article examines corporate governance in Africa and its significance for corporate repurposing. It relies on the framework of the Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa (OHADA), which unites seventeen African states under one corporate law jurisdiction while exploring how the interpretation and practice of this legal system can be integrated with or influenced by national sectoral laws and cultural norms. The workings of these different legal sources denote the case for heterodox pluralism of corporate purpose, whereby corporate membership is not tethered to shareholding only, but the workforce and neighbouring too and corporate legitimacy is not merely a function of legal arrangements but equally derives from broader society. The governance of corporations in Africa must correspond to such imperatives to ensure that the prevailing shareholder primacy norm does not continue its unencumbered de facto reign and reduce African stakeholderism to comparative impotence and mere scholarly exercise.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is a watchdog established to counter the abuse of the financial system by criminals for money laundering, the financing acts of terrorists and proliferation financing. For the FATF to achieve its mandate, it came up with a set of global standards in the form of Recommendations. The Recommendations seek to mitigate the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing and to assess whether FATF member countries are taking effective action to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. South Africa is a member of the FATF and therefore, is obliged to comply with the standards set to combat money laundering and terrorist financing and proliferation. The FATF uses assessments done through peer mutual evaluations. In other words, FATF members assess one another’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regulatory frameworks for compliance with FATF’s standards. Following the FATF's assessment in the years 2003, 2009 and 2018, South Africa’s AML/CTF regulatory framework was found to be weak leading to greylisting in 2023. The greylisting of South Africa follows the findings of strategic deficiencies in the country’s implementation of the FATF AML/CFT standards. Greylisting by the FATF carries various economic and reputational implications for South Africa such as increased scrutiny from international partners resulting in increased compliance costs for financial institutions, an estimated reduction in South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) and a decrease in foreign direct investment (FDI). Since the greylisting, South Africa has embarked on a legislative and regulatory journey to address the shortcomings with a view to be taken off the greylist. This dissertation provides a detailed analysis of the FATF standards, evaluates South Africa's legislative and institutional responses in the form of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act 121 of 1998, Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 and the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act 33 of 2004, and assess their effectiveness in addressing the identified deficiencies. Recommendations are suggested to assist in fortifying South Africa’s AML/CTF regulatory framework.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have gained prominence in recent years. Companies have come to understand their role in the global economy and that their decisions cannot be based solely on profits. They are now required to have regard for the environment in which they operate, to be mindful of the social factors that affect their employees, customers and the community at large, and to ensure that their corporate governance complies with the standards set out in the Companies Act 71 of 2008 and the various King Reports. While ESG has become a buzz word in the corporate world, there is still much uncertainty among stakeholders about what they are required to do and what the reporting requirements, if any, are. Its implementation in South Africa is still in its infancy and there is much uncertainty about what ESG monitoring and compliance truly entail. A perfect illustration of this is the fact that the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) only published ESG disclosure guidelines for the first time in 2022. This means that until the guidelines were published, hundreds of companies in South Africa had been wondering aimlessly in the dark when it comes to ESG issues. To make matters worse, while environmental issues and corporate governance issues have received significant attention from scholars and legislators in South Africa alike, the "S" in ESG has received little attention. It is often treated as the undesirable stepchild that everyone conveniently forgets is part of the ESG family. The purpose of this study is to highlight the gaps in the existing ESG regulatory framework, which leads to gaps in the understanding and monitoring of the implementation of the social indicators of ESG. The study aims to firstly determine whether companies in South Africa have a proper understanding of the social framework of ESG and whether the current legal and/or regulatory framework in South Africa offers sufficient guidance to n organisations to ensure that they comply with and fully implement the social guidelines of the ESG framework.

In an era where technology is rapidly transforming the legal landscape, Transforming Arbitration explores how innovations like AI, blockchain, the Metaverse, and Web3 are reshaping arbitration as a key form of dispute resolution. The book features insights from leading academics, practitioners, and policymakers, offering a comprehensive look at how these advancements are influencing our conceptual, substantive and procedural understandings of many parts of this field. Each chapter examines the challenges and opportunities presented by these technologies, raising important questions about the compatibility of traditional arbitration processes with digital innovations. As the legal field adapts to developments like cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and 'virtual' disputes, this book provides valuable guidance on the future implications for arbitration. By questioning established norms and advocating for fresh approaches, Transforming Arbitration is a vital resource for legal professionals and scholars committed to evolving with the times. Combining theoretical exploration with practical recommendations, this collaborative volume equips the legal community with the tools to navigate the complexities of our digital age with confidence and foresight.

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the impact of the Basel Accords on small indigenous banks in developing countries, with particular concentration on small Zambian banks. The problem statement intends to investigate whether implementing the three Basel Accords is conducive to the growth of small banks in Zambia. The study further aims to determine whether the present approach to legal regulation of small banks in Zambia is appropriate. The methodology is based on desk-bound research and examination of both primary sources and secondary sources of material such as books, journals, and relevant articles. The study is impacted by the dearth of secondary research work and the difficulty of getting information from sources like the Zambian central bank and other information centres. While Basel I and II seem to have stabilised the Zambian financial sector, the Basel III Accord appears to have impacted negatively on many small banks to the extent that they have been forced into merger and acquisition arrangements with larger foreign banks to fund their undercapitalised positions to survive. It also emerges that the Zambian financial system is strongly linked to the international global economy; regionalisation with organisations like SADC and COMESA being the first stages in the process. This situation is likely to introduce increased instability in the Zambian financial sector by making banks more vulnerable to the vagaries of the international financial markets. It is thus recommended that the Zambian central bank should be more proactive in lobbying for better conditions for small banks from the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision and other international financial regulatory bodies; it should also avoid “cutting and pasting” rules from other jurisdictions to avoid possible distortions in the banking sector. It should also encourage further development of primary and secondary markets in low-cost paper and provide small banks with long-term, low-interest loans to support their growth. The Bank of Zambia, the Zambian central bank, should consider establishing a separate Act financial services Act for small banks to better regulate them. The central bank should also seek out non-Basel Accord solutions for small banks including re-examining the positive aspects of the infant-industry argument. Lastly, it should introduce a formal system for classifying banks in Zambia. At the international level, it is suggested that the global standard-setting bodies should undergo radical reforms to ensure that they are in tandem with the problems that banks in developing countries face as well as allow them to have a say in global standard setting. It is recommended that global standard-setting bodies apply simpler rules for smaller banks. The impact of the Basel Accords on small indigenous banks in developing countries and Zambia, in particular, is important because of the role that small banks play in developing economies in growing small and medium-sized businesses that are often ignored by large foreign banks. It is also important that small banks are allowed to grow into large and medium-sized banks to effectively compete against foreign multinational banks. Institutions based on neoliberal ideals appear to only serve Western businesses’ interests despite their call for all countries to create a level playing field. Due to the dearth of empirical research, there are several gaps in the work that may provide opportunities for further research in this important area of the law.

The ongoing ISDS reform, under UNCITRAL Working Group III with a substantial input from the EU, has recently proposed for the establishment of a Multilateral Investment Court (MIC) with an appellate mechanism. Simultaneously, expedited arbitration procedures have gathered significant academic interest in the recent decades. While extensive literature exists on both the MIC development and expedited procedures, their intersection remains relatively unexplored. This dissertation bridges this research gap by analyzing how the best practices from different expedited procedures and EU treaties could be used to establish expedited MIC procedures. Adopting a doctrinal methodology, the research identifies the prominent models and trends in different expedited procedures, accesses their compatibility with the objectives of MIC, and finally proposes a suitable model to attain (cost and time) efficiency and consistency both for the first-tier and appellate proceedings in MIC. By doing so, the study contributes some recommendations for the development of expedited MIC procedures.

Although Zimbabwe has established several institutions to combat money laundering and related crimes, there is a perception that inadequate measures are taken to apprehend offenders responsible for financial crimes. Institutions such as the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) have done little to prove that the government of Zimbabwe is resolute in combatting money laundering. On the contrary, it increasingly appears that these institutions are poorly equipped and lack the necessary capacity to enforce and uphold anti-money laundering (AML) measures in Zimbabwe. Further, there appears to be a selective application of the law, with one set of rules for individuals or institutions that are perceived as political adversaries of the incumbent establishment and a different set of rules for the political elite. Consequently, the selective application of the law projects Zimbabwe as a jurisdiction that is somehow tolerant to money laundering, corruption and related financial crimes, thereby lowering and tarnishing the standing of the country in the global economic community of nations. This paper provides a regulatory analysis of the AML role-players in Zimbabwe in order to assess their functions in combatting financial crimes. It also analyses whether these role-players are effective and substantively executing their responsibilities therein. The authors argue that while Zimbabwe is well able to effectively combat money laundering through the even application of the law to all persons regardless of their political or economic standing, it is imperative that its AML institutions operate without fear, favour or prejudice. This is crucial in combatting money laundering and instilling confidence in the general public's perception of AML institutions in Zimbabwe.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of accounting data produced after the revision of the OHADA accounting system on the decision to grant bank credit to Cameroonian companies. Methodology: qualitative approach was used in this study.  We conducted semi-structured interviews with eight credit analysts in eight banks based in Cameroon. We used the Nvivo 10 software to carry out the content analysis. Findings: It emerges from the analysis of the content of the speeches collected that the most used ratios by credit analysts are: activity ratios, debt ratios, operating ratios, financial structure and autonomy ratios, debt ratios and net cash. In addition, the information provided by the new accounting system is increasingly fluid, detailed, and precise and facilitates decision-making. However, when it comes to the completeness and sincerity of the information provided, analysts remain wary because, companies always provide information subjectively based on their interests Implication: This study reveals that despite the revision of the accounting system, users still remain wary face of informations provided because of its subjective nature. It is therefore recommended that Member States promote unified information for all stakeholders.

This thesis critically examines a much-debated issue in international law: the legitimacy of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement system (ISDS). The system was initially conceived to provide an alternate dispute resolution mechanism for the protection and promotion of foreign investment. In time, this objective has incited a discussion on the legitimacy of the system as the developed world has started to experience the role of host states. Since then, they have taken the lead in the reform process to achieve a balance between host state's and foreign investors' rights. To this effect, both the European Union (EU) and the Third Way Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) are for centralization of the system arguing its current problems emanate from its ad hoc and decentralized nature. Although both are aimed at system centralization, the paths they take to achieve it clearly differ. The EU seeks a permanent investment court by which ad hoc arbitration would give way to a more centralized framework. However, TWAIL advocates for a return to the pre-ISDS era, where national courts resolve investment disputes between foreign investors and states. The effectiveness of these two reform ideas in addressing the purported legitimacy concerns of the ISDS is critically examined in this thesis using Martti Koskenniemi's legal approach. Ultimately, it asserts that neither proposal is adequate to resolve the legitimacy issue of the system, as legitimacy can only be achieved by strengthening the principle of justice, which is feasible alone through a more decentralized structure.

The implementation of New Public Management (NPM) reforms, particularly privatization, has been a significant strategy adopted by governments worldwide to enhance the performance of public enterprises. This article focuses on the telecommunications sector in Nigeria, where privatization was introduced as part of broader economic reforms in the early 2000s. The objective is to assess the influence of privatization on the performance of public enterprises within this sector. The article is anchored on public choice theory. It is qualitative in nature, relying on secondary sources of data, such as, journals, textbooks, official publications and internet materials. It observes that privatization of public enterprises in the telecommunication sector in Nigeria has led to improvements in operational efficiency, increased investment inflows, and expanded service coverage. However, challenges such as regulatory effectiveness, equity in service provision, and the socio-economic impact on marginalized populations remain significant concerns. It contributes to the broader discourse on NPM reforms by providing empirical insights into the complexities and outcomes of privatization within Nigeria's telecommunications sector. It concludes with policy recommendations aimed at optimizing the benefits of privatization while addressing its associated challenges to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth in the sector.

The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, had an agreement to adopt the Eco as its single currency for the fifteen member-states of the West African Sub-regional organization. This major objective has failed to materialize after a long period of time. This paper, therefore seeks to highlight the major challenges confronting the Eco currency project. Data were collected from secondary sources, using content analysis. The paper of discusses the challenges facing the proposed Eco single currency in West Africa, discusses the theoretical framework of monetary integration using Mundell’s factors of Mobility Theory and Mundell’s Optimum Currency Area Theory applied. Based on the findings, Some of the challenges facing the proposed Eco currency in ECOWAS include lack of political will, influence of France on its former territories in West Africa, membership of multiple regional blocs by member states of ECOWAS and fear of domination of the smaller states in the bigger ones. Other challenges include; security and political challenges, inadequate legal instruments to enforce treaty obligations, inadequate modern infrastructure among others. To make this proposed Eco currency a success, the paper suggests that West Africa Monetary Zone member states must take concrete action by showing political will towards the creation of Eco currency area in West Africa. There should be clearly spelt out benefits and costs accruing to each member state in the proposed Eco community currency area. All member states of ECOWAS must be treated as equal partners.