Bibliographie sélective OHADA

Paying taxes is essential to attaining sustainable economic growth and national economic independence, hence tax evasion is a concern for the economies of both wealthy and developing countries. This study examined how tax payer attitudes, particularly in the Singida Tax Region, affect tax evasion in Tanzanian Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). This study employed a survey method in which data collection comprised both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. A multiple regression model was employed in combination with a descriptive study approach to ascertain the outcomes. 145 SMEs taxpayers made up the study's as a sample size. The findings demonstrate that, among SMEs in the Singida Region, peer influence, tax awareness, tax morale, and tax evasion have statistically significant relationships with the taxpayer's attitude. This association is supported by statistics. Consequently, the United Republic of Tanzanian government needs to consider how taxpayer attitudes including peer pressure, tax knowledge, and morale affect tax evasion. This will contribute to the goal of reducing tax avoidance by all taxpayers, including SMEs Taxpayers.

Rules of origin play a pivotal role in free trade agreements. Apart from serving as a tool to distinguish goods by determining the nationality of a product, rules of origin have the capacity to increase trade relations or deter it. Of course, it is the hope of any viable state to increase profitable trading relations, and if rules of origin can help with that, it becomes expedient to fully understand how these rules of origin operate. In Africa, we see rules of origin being implemented amongst the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), but this has come with many struggles. In fact, low intra-African trade can be narrowed down to complex rules of origin regimes deployed in regional agreements in Africa. As of date, the major RECs have each implemented different rules of origin, leading to the co-existence of conflicting rules of origin across Africa. This non-uniformity in the rules of origin regimes in Africa has resulted in low continental trade in Africa. As such, these RECs have not yielded the expected increase in intra-African trade. With the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which currently doubles as the latest and largest FTA in Africa, it is expected that better rules of origin will be deployed to mitigate the existing intra-African trade deficits. This thesis thus deploys a doctrinal approach in determining whether AfCFTA’s rules of origin are positioned to achieve greater intra-African trade. Consequently, this thesis uncovers some lapses in AfCFTA’s rules of origin and calls for harmonization of all the rules of origin in Africa and recommends a possible amendment to Article 19 of the Agreement establishing AfCFTA to accommodate the intended harmonization.

This study examines the impact of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on regional trade in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Digital Technologies (DT) sector across 43 African countries from 2014 to 2021. Employing the augmented gravity model and confidence-level estimations, it highlights AfCFTA's mediating role in enabling ICT&DT trade on the continent. Using hierarchical regression analysis of a panel dataset comprising 5,160 observations, the findings imply that trade openness and productive capacities not only facilitate trade in the ICT&DT sector but also result in positive spillover effects across various economic sectors. This study contributes to the international business literature by refining the application of the gravity model to capture the need for sector-specific analyses to unpack institutional dynamics and dis-enablers of trade. It identifies AfCFTA as a pivotal yet underexplored element in the global trade landscape, highlighting its potential as Africa seeks a more prominent role on the global stage. The research stresses the significance of digital empowerment and policy reforms to maximise the benefits of regional integration under AfCFTA.

The international terms of the 2017 FIDIC Red Book (reprinted and amended in 2022) state that, when the contractor is a joint venture (JV), all members are jointly and severally liable to the employer. These terms also establish certain procedural rules—the most important ones being the submission to the employer of the JV undertaking and the appointment of a leader. However, these international terms do not provide for substantive rules pertaining to the plurality of the JV members. These require reference to the applicable law that governs the construction contract. The applicable law can be domestic law, such as Qatari law, or an international soft law, such as the Unidroit Principles. Comparing these two possibly applicable laws, it becomes evident that there are no significant differences between the two regarding the substantive rules concerning a plurality of obligors. Furthermore, it is argued that the majority of these substantive legal rules, whether national or international, are inoperative in a construction contract incorporating the international terms of the FIDIC Red Book.

This article examines the implementation of the Mining, Agricultural and Construction (MAC) Equipment Protocol under the Cape Town Convention in Africa, focusing on enhancing economic growth and sustainable development through improved access to financing for high-value mobile equipment. Africa’s economic development is significantly hindered by inadequate infrastructure, which escalates transaction costs and limits access to international markets. Investment in modern infrastructure, particularly in the mining, agricultural, and construction sectors, is typically expensive for many businesses in the African region. The MAC Protocol aims to address these challenges by providing a uniform legal framework that supports the financing of MAC equipment. The Convention and the MAC Protocol facilitate access to affordable capital and reduce risks for financiers who take international interests in MAC equipment, promoting economic activities in Africa. The article highlights the legal protections offered by the MAC Protocol, ensuring rights against third-party claims and enhancing the enforceability of international interests. The adoption of the MAC Protocol by African States could significantly impact their ability to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by making modern, cost-efficient equipment more accessible, thus boosting productivity and economic diversification. The article advocates for adopting the MAC Protocol, emphasizing its potential to enhance foreign investment in the mining, agriculture, and construction sectors, stimulating economic development in Africa. This strategic move will propel African countries towards greater economic resilience and integration into the global economy. The article also critically analyses and illustrates the several declaration mechanisms available to countries adopting the MAC Protocol, accompanied by a guidance note to sensitize lawmakers when signing and/or ratifying or acceding to the Cape Town Convention and the MAC Protocol.

In contemporary times, the issue of human and labour rights violations has gained significant momentum, rendering it imperative for international organisations, states, and businesses to address this critical concern. It is widely acknowledged that while multinational enterprises can aid in achieving economic growth by investing directly overseas and raising the standard of living for the residents of host nations, their business operations may also result in abuse of human and labour rights. The United Nations (UN) Charter was drafted to set forth obligations for individual states, yet businesses do not bear international legal obligations. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights was adopted to implement the substantive contents of human rights referred to in the UN Charter in the general way. The preamble of the Universal Declaration refers to all organs of society, but, at the time of its adoption, businesses were not considered among such organs. It was inconceivable that business organisations would become so economically powerful within a few decades that they would pose a significant risk to human and labour rights, which would not be easily regulated under the national law of their host nations. It is the hypothesis of this study that numerous multinational enterprises (MNEs) violate core human and core labour rights, and that the existing regulatory framework does not adequately regulate them. To prove this hypothesis, this thesis will adopt a two phased approach. Firstly, a careful case law and literature review will reveal the inadequate regulation of MNEs. Evidence suggests that MNEs are guilty of flagrant labour standards and human rights violations. As a result of globalisation, MNEs have gained stronger international influence, and they are able to move their businesses to countries with low cost of labour and less regulations. This phenomenon weakens the governments of host nations as they are keen to promote foreign direct investment in order to reduce unemployment and to ensure economic growth. As a result, the host nations are encouraged to set laws that will attract MNEs at the expense of human and core labour rights. As result, MNEs are not held accountable in respect of their violation of human and labour rights. Secondly, this thesis will assess the efficacy of the regulatory instruments developed by the international community in response to the mentioned problem. This aspect is covered in Chapter 3 to 7 of this thesis. The strategies include the public and private hard law and soft law mechanisms developed at international level as well as campaigns by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Based on evidence, this thesis will conclude that a soft law approach is not fully effective. As such, Chapter 8 of this thesis proposes the introduction of some hard law measures to improve the existing soft law instruments to augment the existing legislative frameworks of the host countries. In particular, the thesis recommends regulatory reforms, which will empower the International Labour Organisation to intervene to prevent the labour rights violations by MNEs and where such violations occur, to at least provide effective remedies to vulnerable employees. This thesis constitutes a theoretical study, which attempts to provide suggestions regarding the implementation of realistic measures, which if implemented, may contribute to the attainment of decent work for all men and women who are engaged in work for MNEs.

Il est un fait peu contestable que le développement durable, en tant que sujet d’actualité mondiale, prend une place de plus en plus centrale des discussions ayant cours dans un monde de plus en plus industrialisé et globalisé. Dans cette nouvelle ère où les défis environnementaux, économiques, sociaux, culturels ou encore climatiques se multiplient et se complexifient, il devient de plus en plus primordial d’axer les réflexions internationales vers un meilleur équilibre des croissances de chacun, le tout, en tenant compte des enjeux de durabilité. C’est dans ce contexte que s’inscrit le présent mémoire, axé sur la mise en lumière de l’importance des enjeux environnementaux et de transparence à travers les procédures et les jurisprudences de l’arbitrage du Centre international pour le règlement des différends relatifs aux investissements (CIRDI). Le présent argumentaire visera donc à apporter un éclairage nouveau sur les défis auxquels le CIRDI est confronté dans l’intégration des principes de développement durable et de transparence, notamment, dans ses décisions, à travers les implications des normes internationales sur le comportement des États et des investisseurs. Ce mémoire s'adresse ainsi principalement à ceux qui s'intéressent aux développements du droit international des investissements et de la durabilité des conséquences que ce dernier permet. Il vise aussi à contribuer au débat en proposant des recommandations concrètes permettant un alignement optimal des pratiques du CIRDI avec celles d’autres organes d’arbitrage nationaux et internationaux et avec les exigences de transparence et de durabilité.

Tant par l’ampleur que le caractère pérenne de leurs conséquences sur la vie des différentes parties prenantes, les erreurs judiciaires suscitent l’indignation autant des régulateurs que des journalistes et de l’opinion publique. Assurer une prise de décision correcte dans le contexte judiciaire nécessite des balises institutionnelles visant, d’une part, à permettre une présentation complète de toute la preuve pertinente devant le juge des faits et, d’autre part, à limiter les erreurs d’appréciation de cette preuve. Notre thèse s’intéresse aux sources d’erreurs d’origine humaine qui limitent une correcte appréciation de la preuve dans le contexte judiciaire qui sont les moins susceptibles d’être mis en évidence par voie de contrôle juridictionnel (d’appel) et qui peuvent justifier la mise en place de balises institutionnelles additionnelles à celles existantes. Tout d’abord, une revue de littérature critique en criminologie et en sciences sociales sur les sources d’erreurs qui entachent généralement la rationalité des jugements (chapitre 1) indique que les décisions rendues dans le contexte judiciaire sont vulnérables à la fois aux biais et « bruits » à toutes les étapes d’un procès. Ensuite, nous nous intéresserons en particulier aux problèmes de compréhension et d’interprétation propres aux preuves scientifiques, comprenant les expertises ainsi que celles obtenues par des outils statistiques, actuariels et technologiques (chapitre 2). En effet, la science apparaît à première vue comme un « auxiliaire de justice » précieux par l’introduction de l’expertise dans les procès. Or, la production en justice d’une preuve forensique doit passer par un travail d’exégèse et de traduction de l’expert forensique au juge ou aux jurés. Tout au long de ce processus, la myopie métacognitive des experts forensiques, le mécanisme du procès contradictoire, l’aménagement des salles d’audience et la manière dont l’information est présentée, ainsi que les difficultés de compréhension de la preuve forensique par les décideurs, pourraient constituer autant d’aléas et de risques de dérive ébranlant la rationalité supposée de ce travail collectif qu’est la tenue d’un procès afin de faire émerger la vérité… judiciaire. Considérant que le contrôle juridictionnel des erreurs de faits par les juges d’instance s’avère assez limité au Canada (chapitre 3), nous proposons en dernier lieu (chapitre 4) quelques pistes de réforme afin de mieux rationaliser l’appréciation de la preuve par les décideurs de faits. Tout d’abord, il y a lieu d’ajouter quelques garanties d’ordre procédural et certaines inférences spécifiquement interdites pour limiter l’occurrence de biais cognitifs en général. Nous nous sommes inspirés ensuite de la formule bayésienne ainsi que la Déclaration de Sydney relative à la science forensique, pour proposer une démarche permettant de « rationaliser » le processus d’appréciation de la preuve afin de limiter les erreurs de compréhension sur la portée et les limites de la preuve d’expert. La formule bayésienne souligne en effet la nécessité de distinguer la probabilité des effets (qui relève des experts), de la probabilité des causes (du ressort exclusif du juge au procès). L’évaluation de ces deux probabilités ne se chevauche pas et fait appel à des considérations distinctes. Dans cette évaluation, la prise en compte du contexte et d’éléments circonstanciels s’avère à double tranchant en ce qu’elle peut à la fois être pertinente pour orienter l’investigation (aider à la génération de nouvelles pistes, hypothèses ou explications alternatives) que constitutive de biais. Le potentiel de biais s’accentue dans les cas de figure plus ambigus ou dont la preuve reste essentiellement circonstancielle. Nous suggérons finalement l’institution du rôle de « critique d’experts » qui peut agir en véritable auxiliaire de justice devant la cour ou en amont, comme auditeur indépendant, pour mieux contrôler l’intégrité du processus forensique et la manière dont la preuve scientifique est présentée devant les tribunaux.

The glaring lack of employment opportunities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led to the conclusion of special employment contracts, includin…

The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights recently published a general comment interpreting article 7(d) of the so-called Maputo Protocol.…

Based on bank-level data from 29 Sub-Saharan African countries between 2005 and 2019, we apply panel fixed effects (FE) and two-step system GMM estimators to investigate whether increased cross-border banking affects domestic banking sector stability. We find significant evidence that the stability of banks in host countries declines with an increased presence of foreign banks—and the impact is more pronounced on banks that are small and less efficient. The stability impact of foreign banks is also found to depend on the quality of governance institutional factors in the host country. The findings shed some important insights on the downside of financial liberalisation policy in developing countries and the need for increased cross-border collaboration between home and host supervisory authorities in the SSA region—especially in jurisdictions where the foreign bank affiliates are systemically important. The domestic supervisory authorities thus need to effectively manage the inherent trade-off between reaping the benefits from international financial integration while effectively safeguarding domestic banking systems against cross-border contagion and fragility.

L’Objectif de cette recherche est de comprendre la portée de la mutation comptable sur la production d’une information financière de qualité. Pour ce faire, nous avons opté pour une posture épistémologique interpretativiste adossée sur une démarche qualitative inductive. A l’aide d’un guide d’entretien, nous avons réalisé les entretiens semi-directifs auprès de dix (10) gestionnaires financiers des entreprises publiques en RD Congo. Les données collectées, ont fait l’objet d’une analyse de contenu et automatisée à l’aide du logiciel Nvivo 10. Il ressort de ces analyses que la mutation comptable PCGC/OHADA contribuerait à l’amélioration de la qualité de l’information financière dans les entreprises publiques en RD Congo. Ce qui interpelle les gestionnaires des entreprises publiques d’une part et le conseil permanent de la comptabilité au Congo d’autre part de veiller véritablement à l’applicabilité stricte du SYSCOHADA pour une information financière de qualité. Car la mutation comptable PCGC/OHADA s’implémente avec beaucoup des difficultés dans les entreprises publiques en RD Congo surtout lors des travaux d’inventaires.  

This report examines the experiences of Ghanaian exporters and importers with trade regulations and related procedural obstacles – highlighting their concerns and the challenges they face. A survey of 960 traders on non-tariff measures found that almost half of exporters in Ghana encounter obstacles. This finding underscores the importance of the solutions proposed in the country’s National Export Development Strategy. The report finds that tackling foreign and domestic trade obstacles such as conformity assessment requirements, export inspections and customs clearance procedures could help Ghana boost its annual exports by up to $4.3 billion by 2025.

This article explores the terms “BRI dispute” and “BRI jurisprudence”. It undertakes a practical and theoretical analysis that considers whether “BRI disputes” have distinct and visible characteristics and are capable of being identified in a legal sense. This is important since practitioners – arbitration centres and law firms – use the term broadly and without specific criteria. By exploring the customary usage and the approach of legal scholars to the term, presenting examples of “BRI disputes” and examining their unique features, and constructing a theoretical approach (utilizing the concepts of ratione materiae, ratione loci, ratione temporis, and ratione personae; and considering the jurisprudence of the ICSID), this article moves from a broad to a narrow analysis to develop both a definition and a system of registration of “BRI disputes” for use by academics, practitioners, and policymakers.

The purpose of the Competition Act 89 of 1998 as amended (the Competition Act) is, among others, to promote the efficiency, adaptability and development of the economy as well as to provide consumers with competitive prices and product choices. In line with this purpose, the Competition Act provides that a dominant firm is prohibited from engaging in price discrimination if such conduct will likely substantially prevent or lessen competition, which would be to the detriment of consumers. Notably, the Competition Act has established various bodies to regulate competition and act against any conduct prohibited by this Act in South Africa. These bodies include the Competition Commission, the Competition Tribunal, and the Competition Appeal Court. Notwithstanding the prohibition of price discrimination, the Competition Act does not expressly provide adequate enforcement tools for competition authorities to combat uncompetitive practices in the digital era. Moreover, the Competition Act does not expressly grant these statutory bodies clear roles and mandates on providing consumers with adequate and suitable redress when they have been victims of algorithmic price discrimination. With recent technological developments, electronic commerce (e-commerce), and digital transformation, consumers have become vulnerable to various challenges such as excessive pricing, data breaches and algorithmic pricing. The online and digital markets are characterised by complex transactions, innovative technologies and business practices which expose all consumers, including vulnerable consumers, to different risks. As such, the role of the competition authorities needs to be recalibrated to enhance consumer protection on the pricing of goods and services. To this end this paper seeks to investigate the role and ambit of the powers of these competition authorities in the regulation of price discrimination in the context of digital transformation and the digital economy. This is done to assess whether the competition authorities have the necessary tools of enforcement to ensure that markets are competitive and to combat uncompetitive conduct in the digital economy and online markets.

The collection of value-added tax from the cross-border supply of digital goods remains a challenge for tax authorities around the world. South Africa is no different. The traditional methods of collecting VAT from the supply of digital goods relies on the honesty of the consumer and on the supplier to account for and remit VAT to the tax authorities in the jurisdiction where the goods are consumed. The traditional collection models are often unreliable, inefficient, burdensome, and expensive for the consumers and the suppliers. The adoption of blockchain technology as a model to collect VAT on the cross-border supply of digital goods has the potential to alleviate the compliance burden on consumers and suppliers of digital goods, improve the efficiency of tax administration, and reduce VAT fraud. Importantly, blockchain technology can create trust between tax authorities, suppliers of digital goods, and consumers. This thesis critically discusses the advantages and disadvantages of implementing blockchain technology for the collection of VAT on the cross-border supply of digital goods in South Africa. This thesis unpacks the consideration factors for policymakers in the implementation of blockchain technology for the collection of VAT on cross-border trade in digital goods. The thesis makes recommendations for the South African VAT Act to be amended to make provision for the collection of VAT by utilising blockchain technology.

Cette réflexion se propose de contribuer au développement des modes amiables de règlement des différends dans la culture juridique béninoise afin de permettre aux justiciables, majoritairement analphabètes, d'avoir des alternatives opportunes aux voies judiciaires classiques. Tandis que la justice fait face à de nombreux défis, aussi bien en France qu'au Bénin, le développement et la promotion remarqués des modes amiables de règlement des différends connaissent un certain succès en la matière en France. Au Bénin, le législateur encourage, incite mais ne propose aucun régime particulier pour le recours effectif au règlement amiable des différends. Cette recherche tente ainsi d'examiner de façon approfondie et d'interroger les différends mécanismes législatifs existants, tant les enjeux en termes d'accès à la justice sont considérables. Les principaux enjeux de cette thèse sont donc liées aux perspectives du développement des mode amiables et à leur encadrement pour remédier aux insuffisances et contre-performances de la justice étatique béninoise.