Bibliographie sélective OHADA

This article examines the effects of oil revenues on human capital in CEMAC countries over the period 1995–2020. The study is based on a dynamic panel of five countries (Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad). The data are sourced from the IMF, the World Bank (WDI), the UNDP and the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI). The author employs the Blundell and Bond (1998) GMM system estimator to address the endogeneity and persistence of human capital, supplemented by interaction term models and robustness tests (stationarity, cross-sectional dependence). The analyses reveal a negative or non-significant effect of oil revenues on human capital indicators (school enrolment, life expectancy, HDI-education). Institutional quality acts as a powerful positive moderator, whilst revenue volatility has a detrimental effect. These results highlight the need for better governance, stabilisation funds and a more efficient allocation of oil revenues towards education and health.

Long ago before the creation of the state courts, men had resorted to arbitration for the resolution of diputes. Today, based on the principle of monopoly of the state to render justice, the power to judge is given only to the state. Rendering of justice is one of the areas where the state exeercises its sovereign powers. This has made us to ask the question : is arbitration a violation of the sovereignty of the state in the domain of dispute resolution ? Arbitration is not a violation of the sovereign powers of the state because, it is not all disputes that are resolved via arbitration (for example, crimnal, tax disputes etc can not be settled via arbitration) and the state courts intervene in arbitratin when ever it is necessary. The sate courts intervene in arbitration to grant exequatur, order interim mesaures etc. Nonetheless, since OHADA legislator has not given a complete list of all disputes that can not be resolve via arbitration, we recomend that OHADA should provide a list of all disputes whcih can be settle via arbitration as it is the case with the Arbitration Act of Zimbabw. This article aims at identifying those cases that can not be settled by way of arbitration and those instances in which the state courts intervene in arbitration. Avant la création des tribunaux étatiques, les hommes ont eu recours à l'arbitrage pour la résolution des litiges. Aujourd'hui, sur la base du principe du monopole de l'État à rendre la justice, le pouvoir de juger n'est conféré qu'à l'État. Le fait de rendre la justice est l'un des domaines dans lesquels l'État exerce ses pouvoirs souverains. Cela nous a amenés à poser la question : l'arbitrage constitue-t-il une violation de la souveraineté de l'État dans le domaine du règlement des différends ? L'arbitrage n'est pas une violation des pouvoirs souverains de l'État car, d'une part, tous les litiges ne sont pas résolus par voie d'arbitrage (par exemple, les litiges pénaux, fiscaux, etc. ne peuvent pas être réglés par arbitrage) et, d'autre part, les tribunaux étatiques interviennent dans l'arbitrage chaque fois que cela est nécessaire. Les tribunaux étatiques interviennent dans l'arbitrage pour accorder l'exequatur, ordonner des mesures provisoires, etc. Néanmoins, étant donné que le législateur de l'OHADA n'a pas établi une liste exhaustive de tous les litiges qui ne peuvent pas être résolus par arbitrage, nous recommandons que l'OHADA fournisse une liste de tous les litiges qui peuvent être réglés par voie d'arbitrage, comme c'est le cas dans la loi sur l'arbitrage du Zimbabwe. Cet article vise à identifier les litiges qui ne peuvent pas être réglés par voie d'arbitrage ainsi que les situations dans lesquelles les tribunaux étatiques interviennent dans l'arbitrage.

This paper analyses the minimum wage as an instrument to provide a sustainable livelihood for employees and their families. In addressing this topic, the paper questions whether the present- day minimum wage of the country can actually enhance a sustainable livelihood for workers and their families in urban centres in general, and in the Buea municipality in particular. The paper further examines the relevant international and domestic instruments, such as the ILO Minimum Wage Fixing Convention No. 131 and the 1992 Labour Code of Cameroon. Findings reveal that the current minimum wage, which stands at 43,969 FRS, is grossly inadequate and does not match the prices of basic commodities needed for survival in the country as a whole and in Buea specifically. This, therefore, necessitates an increase in the current minimum wage. Given this situation, workers struggle to attain a sustainable livelihood. A new minimum wage policy considering Cameroon’s current economic situation could alleviate the suffering of these workers. Cet article analyse le salaire minimum en tant qu’instrument permettant d’assurer des moyens de substance durable aux travailleurs et leurs familles. Abordant cette problématique, l’étude s’interroge sur la capacité du salaire minimum actuellement en vigueur dans le pays à garantir effectivement un niveau de vie durable aux travailleurs et à leurs familles dans les centres urbains en général, et dans la municipalité de Buea en particulier. L’article examine en outre les instruments internationaux et nationaux pertinents, tel que la Convention (n° 131) de l’OIT sur la fixation des salaires minima et le Code du travail camerounais de 1992. Les résulta révèlent que le salaire minimum actuel, fixé à 43,969 FCFA est largement insuffisant, et ne correspond pas au coût des produits de première nécessité indispensables à la survie, tant a l’échelle nationale qu’à Buea en particulier. Cette situation rend donc nécessaire une revalorisation du salaire minimum en vigueur. Dans ces conditions, les travailleurs éprouvent de sérieuses difficultés à atteindre des moyens de subsistance durables. L’adoption une nouvelle politique de salaires minimum, tenant compte de la situation économique actuelle du Cameroun, pourrait contribuer à atténuer les souffrances de ces travailleurs.

Recently, human trafficking has been on a rise with African states fighting to put an end to the crime by protecting victims, prosecuting culprits and collaborating with other partners. As a giant step towards fighting this crime, many African states ratified the Palermo Protocol, Ouagadougou Action Plan, domesticated trafficking laws and put in place institutions. Despite these efforts, trafficking in persons remain a persistent crime due to conflicts, poverty, unemployment and corruption, which increase the vulnerability of persons within and from Africa. Adopting a doctrinal research method, this paper questions the effectiveness of African States’ efforts to protect, prosecute and prevent this crime in and from Africa. It concludes that, while African states must be applauded for their efforts to protect, prosecute and collaborate with other states and organizations to combat this crime, much still remains to be done. This is due to the existence of factors like poverty, unemployment that create vulnerabilities and enforcement challenges like corruption, victim identification, delays in cross-border collaboration and weak legal frameworks. African states should therefore address underlying socio-economic factors, strengthen their domestic legal frameworks and enhance international cooperation to fully combat this crime. Récemment, la traite des êtres humains a connu une recrudescence, et les États Africains s'efforcent d'y mettre fin en protégeant les victimes, en poursuivant les auteurs et en collaborant avec d'autres partenaires. Dans le cadre de cette lutte, de nombreux États Africains ont ratifié le Protocole de Palerme et le Plan d'action de Ouagadougou, intégré des lois nationales relatives à la traite et mis en place des institutions spécialisées. Malgré ces efforts, la traite des personnes demeure un crime persistant en raison des conflits, de la pauvreté, du chômage et de la corruption, qui accroissent la vulnérabilité des personnes en Afrique et en provenance d'Afrique. Adoptant une méthode de recherche doctrinale, cet article examine l'efficacité des efforts déployés par les États Africains pour protéger, poursuivre et prévenir ce crime sur leur territoire et à partir de leur territoire. Il conclut que, alors que les États Africains doivent être salués pour leurs efforts de protection, de poursuite et de collaboration avec d'autres États et organisations pour combattre ce crime, il reste encore beaucoup à faire. Ceci s'explique par l'existence de facteurs tels que la pauvreté et le chômage, qui créent des vulnérabilités, et par des difficultés d'application de la loi comme la corruption, l'identification des victimes, les retards dans la collaboration transfrontalière et la faiblesse des cadres juridiques. Les États africains devraient donc s'attaquer aux facteurs socio économiques sous-jacents, renforcer leurs cadres juridiques nationaux et intensifier la coopération internationale afin de lutter pleinement contre ce crime.

Despite being part of Australian law for more than 30 years, the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (‘CISG’) has not secured the internationally minded interpretation that CISG art 7(1) requires. Australia’s international commercial arbitration (‘ICA’) laws, however, are routinely approached by Australian courts with an internationalist perspective, as their own interpretative rules require. It is tempting to conclude that Australia’s approach to interpreting its ICA laws is transferable to the CISG context. In this article I address a previously unexplored nuance affecting that conclusion. Australian courts routinely accept Singaporean, Hong Kong and New Zealand interpretative influence concerning ICA laws. In the CISG context, however, significantly less influence from those jurisdictions exists. That being so, I explore how Australia’s courts might better apply the CISG in an internationalist manner. First, I recommend that Australia’s courts emphasise to practitioners the need to consider the CISG’s application and its internationalist interpretation requirements. Second, I recommend that Australian courts use the amicus curiae procedure to solicit third party submissions addressing the CISG’s interpretation. Both techniques are applied by foreign courts in the ICA context and would assist Australian courts in discharging their CISG art 7(1) obligations.

This study investigates how blockchain integration, regulatory policies, and the participation of institutional investors impact fintech innovation in Jordanian fintech companies. A descriptive analytical approach was used to evaluate and summarize the effects of these factors on innovation in the sector. An electronic survey was conducted among 125 administrative personnel working in Jordan's fintech industry. The results indicate a strong presence of blockchain adoption, involvement of institutional investors, and overall fintech innovation in these companies. However, the regulatory landscape in Jordan's fintech sector was found to be moderate. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that both blockchain integration and the regulatory framework significantly influence fintech innovation, with a significance level of 0.05. In light of these findings, the study suggests the creation of strategies to promote blockchain adoption, aiming to enhance efficiency and innovation in the industry.

This study focuses on both domestic and foreign investment as indicators of economic growth in an emerging market context, examining the effects of tax reforms on investment decisions in Ghana from 1985 to 2020. The research employs a time-series analysis to integrate control variables like inflation, gross capital formation, and base rate, revealing their significant influence on investment activity in tandem with tax policy changes. Unlike previous research that mostly uses gross fixed capital formation as a proxy for investment, this study includes a wider range of investment types, giving a more complete picture of how the economy works. We did unit root and co-integration tests, which showed that the variables were first-order co-integrated. We performed the model estimate using a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) and Granger causality tests. Results reveal that tax reforms have a measurable impact on investment patterns, underscoring the importance of adaptive tax policies in promoting sustainable economic development. The findings contribute to the broader literature on investment and fiscal policy in emerging economies, offering insights for policy-makers on optimizing tax strategies to encourage investment and drive economic growth.

The provisions of USMCA and their interpretation and application in the developing case law of international arbitral tribunals constituted under its investment chapter show a progressive move towards a higher transparency standard in the resolution of inves-tor-State disputes. The incorporation of most of the UNCITRAL Rules on Transparen-cy in USMCA Annex 14-D expanded the scope of NAFTA’s transparency rules. The entry into force of USMCA and the recent end of NAFTA’s “legacy claims” is to bring normative uniformity across the case law of arbitral tribunals on issues of procedural transparency. In addition, better access to arbitral orders and awards under USMCA will promote the quality of the decisions, as tribunals and parties will be able to lean on the experience of their predecessors. Las disposiciones del T-MEC y su aplicación en la jurisprudencia arbitral internacional muestran un avance hacia mayores estándares de transparencia en disputas inversionista-Estado. Al incorporar la mayoría de las Reglas de Transparencia de la CNUDMI en su Anexo 14-D, el T-MEC amplió el marco del TLCAN. La entrada en vigor del T-MEC y el fin de las “reclamaciones heredadas” del TLCAN promueven una mayor uniformidad normativa en torno a la transparencia procesal. Esta coherencia fortalecerá la aceptación del capítulo de inversión del T-MEC y aumentará la legitimidad del arbitraje de inversiones a nivel global.

Trademarks are economic tools that aid businesses to communicate with their customers and capture a vast section of the population. Trademarks are only useful when used efficiently in the course of trade, meaning the higher the reputation of the mark, the more consumers want to associate themselves to the products or services the mark is affixed upon. This study examines the criteria to own a trademark and how ownership claims are handled between the African Organisation of Intellectual property as known by its French acronym OAPI and the competent domestic courts found at the level of Member States which has become a breathing ground for confusion in the resolution of disputes. Due to both bodies having concurrent jurisdiction in dispute resolution, the cost has become unbearable on trademark owners or beneficiaries of an exclusive license of exploitation, coupled with inconsistency in judgements from the two structures. The article highlights some key improvements expanding trademark subject matter and provides information on how the two institutions cited above handle matters of jurisdiction based on case law. The article also brings to the limelight how the OAPI administrative litigation bodies can collaborate with the competent domestic courts to arrive at clear and concise decisions. In conclusion the paper provides some recommendations on bridging the gap between both jurisdictions in order to attain the objectives of all parties involved.

In Nigeria, the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (2018) has entered into force. This Convention was incorporated or domesticated by referring to it in the Arbitration and Mediation Act (2023), but statutes are often dedicated to the domestication of treaties. There is no consensus on the most pragmatic way(s) to facilitate Nigerian treaty engagement. This article examines the Nigerian legal regime on treaties and explores the extent to which the regime can be maximised considering the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969). A case is made for a principled basis to underpin the domestication of treaties that facilitate international business, including dispute resolution treaties. This analytical basis should enable legislative flexibility already woven into the overarching legal regime. The article articulates how such flexibility can be used to promote the operationalisation of relevant treaties using the Arbitration and Mediation Act as a paradigm.

The significant increase in the development of world economy over the last few decades have been experienced a considerable increase in the number of commercial disputes. When there is any business and dealings with contracts the question of dispute must be happened. But all of the parties actually want to run their business well and smoothly. In recent world a massive part of global economy depends on the trans-border business. But disputes in such business dealings sometimes can be the reasons to become risk the inter-relation of those parties. Which can affect the global economy as a whole. Comparing to the disputes inside domestic entities the trans-border or international business disputes can arise as bigger problem because of different jurisdictions, diverse legal systems and tradition. International Court of Justice (ICJ) already has the jurisdiction to try all the international civil suits but Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism also considered as a viable alternative to resolve the dispute over the court. The international arbitration arises as a way of alternative dispute resolution mechanism which upraise benefits both of the parties and maintain the confidentiality. In this paper details of international arbitration and the broader impact of this mechanism in the global business economy will be focused. The legal status and the implementation process of international arbitration also be the discussing point of this paper.

This article seeks to examine the extent to which users of e-banking services are protected in Cameroon. Over the past decades financial transactions have gradually emerged from traditional methods to modern forms of banking. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has transformed the banking system into a digital arena. With e-banking, customers can access their bank accounts, transfer funds, pay bills, and check their accounts balances. Banks serve as the backbone of every modern economy and should be protected. The development of e-banking in the 1980s with the aid of ICT has rendered banks and their customers vulnerable to cybercrimes. As an effort to combat cybercrimes and ensure cyber security in Cameroon, the 2010 Cyber Law provides both substantive and procedural rules. It is rather unfortunate that, the measures put in place to ensure cyber security and protect bank customers against cybercrimes are to a greater extent ineffective. The main objective of this article is to determine the protection accorded to banks and their customers against cybercrimes. The method adopted in the course of this work is doctrinal wherein, both primary and secondary sources of data were collected. The findings reveal among others that, the measures put in place to combat cybercrimes within the banking sphere in Cameroon are not effective. There is lack of explicit definitions for cyber offences. Most of the offences provided by the 2010 Cyber Law are vague and ambiguous. We therefore recommend that, the 2010 Cyber Law should be amended to address the current issues of ICT. This amendment should include explicit definitions for the different forms of cybercrimes with severe sanctions. Banks are advised to put in place effective monitoring machineries to mitigate cybercrimes.

It may be assumed that all of the United States’ trading partners were impacted by the recent “Liberation Day” announcement – an announcement which constitutes “two distinct tariff actions” – as will be highlighted in this paper. However, despite previous concerns of being targeted by their free trade agreement (FTA) partner, Canada and Mexico – as would have been or should be expected, have been exempted from the tariff imposition. As well as addressing factors which have contributed to the shift from free trade to increasingly and predominantly protectionist stances and most likely, fair trade practices, this paper is aimed at highlighting and explaining the rationales behind the recent historical developments – as well as highlighting those factors that have triggered the build up to the Liberation Day Announcement of the 2nd April 2025. It is remarked that “Trump’s reciprocal tariff doctrine, holds foreign countries accountable”. Against this backdrop of discontent with World Trade Organisation’s dispute resolution mechanisms, which will be further elaborated on, in the paper, the immediate and possible long term impacts of the Announcement, will be considered. As well as exploring the reasons for recent developments – by way of reference to historical developments and data, the paper also considers the underlying frameworks governing the calculations of recent tariff rates and hikes. Whilst there are arguments regarding the validity of such calculations, or whether the current scenario justifies the basis for implementing “national emergency measures”, what can be regarded as an emergency response can be determined through a consideration of underlying and contributory factors. If negotiations, and more specifically, bilateral negotiations, take place as hoped, between those countries impacted by the Liberation Day Announcement, financial stability across global markets is expected to be restored. However, if retaliatory measures follow – with an escalation of trade wars, possible repercussions should be cause for concern. The global trading system is still recovering from the recent crisis which was largely uncontrollable – hence, it is more likely (and hoped) that the recent market turbulence and volatilities will be short term.

Avec de plus en plus de transactions commerciales effectuées par voie électronique, les litiges résultant d'intérêts conflictuels ou de malveillance deviennent inévitables, car Internet est devenu un terreau fertile pour divers abus. Ces abus vont de la rupture de contrat et des actes délictuels aux actes criminels. Il en résulte que l'utilisation d'Internet a donné une dimension différente à ces litiges. Cependant, comme le dit la célèbre maxime Ubi Jus Ubi Remedium, là où il y a un droit, il y a un remède. Le Cameroun, suivant cette tendance, a adopté un cadre juridique qui offre une panoplie de recours disponibles pour les victimes de violations du commerce électronique et d'infractions connexes, dans l'intention de rapprocher la partie lésée le plus possible de la position qu'elle aurait occupée s'il n'y avait pas eu d'abus. Le but de cet article est d'évaluer l'efficacité du cadre actuel pour remédier aux victimes de violations du commerce électronique et d'infractions connexes. L'article examine donc les bases des responsabilités en commerce électronique et les recours disponibles pour les victimes, mettant en évidence les difficultés qui rendent ces recours moins efficaces à cet égard. Plusieurs recommandations ont été proposées par cet article pour améliorer le statu quo. With more and more business being conducted through electronic means, disputes stemming from conflicting interests or malice become inevitable, as the internet has become a breeding ground for diverse abuses. These abuses range from contractual breaches and tortious acts to criminal acts. It follows that the use of the internet has given a different dimension to these disputes. However, as the famous maxim Ubi Jus, Ubi Remedium states, where there is a right, there is a remedy. Cameroon, following this trend, adopted a legal framework that provided a panoply of remedies available to victims of breaches of e-commerce contracts and related offenses to bring the aggrieved party as close as possible to the position he would have been in if there had been no abuse. The purpose of this article is to assess the efficiency of the present framework for remedying victims of e-commerce breaches and related offenses. The article thus examines the basis for liabilities in e-commerce and the remedies available to victims, bringing out the difficulties which render these remedies less efficient for the purpose. Several recommendations have been proffer by this article to improve the status quo.

Corporate law is in a moment of vibrant and contentious discussions about potential reforms. As firms exit Delaware, passive investment predominates, private equity expands, and public markets decline, corporate law faces a growing set of challenges that threaten its stability and efficacy. At the same time, the world faces pressing crises, including climate change, social and economic inequalities, and threats to democracy, though corporate law scholars typically consider these crises to be outside corporate law’s remit. In this Article, we argue that to understand and address the multidimensional crises that face both corporate law and society, we must address shortcomings in corporate law doctrine. We show how modern corporate law, shaped by neoclassical economic theories, provides an incomplete picture of the firm, and we propose an expanded theoretical perspective that draws from organization theory, a field long dedicated to understanding the complexities of the firm. This updated perspective demonstrates how firms actually consist of multiple constituents, including workers, the environment, and shareholders, who invest different forms of capital in the firm: labor capital, natural capital, and financial capital. It further shows that modern corporate law entrenches problematic power imbalances, privileging boards and insider shareholders over workers, the environment, and minority shareholders. Moreover, building on organization theory, we explain how corporate law fundamentally shapes and constrains firm behavior, leading these entrenched power imbalances to generate far-reaching negative consequences. To address these shortcomings, we propose redesigning board representation, fiduciary duties, and executive compensation to empower workers, the environment, and minority shareholders in relation to boards and insider shareholders. Integrating the organizational and economic perspectives can help address problematic power imbalances and ultimately provide a more effective corporate law framework to govern firms and serve society.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) builds up the accounting system efficiency, increases data entry accuracy and simplifying the accounting process. The aim of the study is to prove the effectiveness of modern AI-based information technologies (IT) in accounting and the possibilities of AI application for process optimization. The effectiveness and efficiency were proven using comparison methods, statistical analysis, graphical cause-and-effect analysis, modelling using the linear regression method. The assessment was carried out using quantitative and qualitative indicators of labour productivity and process optimization. The results of the study showed that 18 accounting department employees on average are needed to perform standard transactions in the companies studied without AI. With AI, 1 person can handle such a volume of work. Accordingly, with the implementation of AI, the average reduction in Transaction Processing Time per Week is 696.26 hours. Regression analysis confirmed that the implementation of AI increases the companies’ productivity in terms of Transaction Processing Time. Reducing the Data Processing Complexity by one unit leads to a reduction in transaction processing time by 592.69 seconds. Each percent increase in Data Entry Accuracy contributes to a reduction in processing time by 5135.51 seconds. The prospects for implementing AI in accounting include further improving algorithms to increase the accuracy and speed of transaction processing, optimizing material and time consumed.  

The present article explores the implication of fairness as a regulatory and competition law concept applied to digital and Artificial Intelligence markets, in light of recent law and policy developments targeting the interaction between data, market power and competition law. Much of the policy discussions, legislative proposals as well some emerging case law elevate the matter of “fairness” in the context of digital markets and AI, creating both a novel regulatory framework as well as encouraging competition law to curb “unfairness” of said markets and related “unfair practices”. The interface between intellectual property rights and competition law is of utmost importance in this context, where we might find similar analogous insights as we can find regarding the matter of fairness within traditional EU competition law. Further, the question remains whether the “fairness norm” expressed in regulatory acts such Digital Markets Act, EU AI Act and the EU Data Act are akin to the “fairness” norms found in Union competition law, mainly under Article 102 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

No abstract available.

OHADA Law plays a crucial role in fostering economic growth and regional integration by harmonizing business regulations in the era of globalization and trade liberalization. This study examines the legal framework surrounding company membership under OHADA Law. While certain individuals such as legally incapacitated persons or those facing legal prohibitions cannot become company members, the law provides alternative solutions. The study explores the distinction between members and shareholders and clarifies the eligibility criteria for company membership. Using an analytical approach, this research finds that any natural or corporate entity, unless restricted by legal incapacity, prohibition, or incompatibility, can be a company member under OHADA Uniform Act. Furthermore, the law offers flexibility for incapacitated individuals by allowing legal representatives to act on their behalf.