Bibliographie sélective OHADA

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.

The practical application of international conventions like the Montreal Convention of 1999 and the OHADA Uniform Act of 2023 in the context of attaching goods onboard aircraft presents significant challenges. These frameworks do not explicitly address the attachment of such goods, focusing instead on liability and recovery procedures. The OHADA Uniform Act aims to simplify recovery processes but may struggle with conflicting national regulations and regional legal practices. The absence of specific legislation for attaching goods in-flight creates a critical gap, leading to uncertainty and inefficiency in enforcement. Addressing this gap in this paper requires developing targeted legal solutions that align with international standards while addressing the unique demand of air transport.

Les Normes Internationales d’Information Financière (IFRS), émises par l'International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), deviennent de plus en plus le régime comptable privilégié parmi les entreprises des pays africains. La recherche sur l’effet de l’adoption des IFRS sur la qualité de l’information comptable dans les économies émergentes est encore rare. Par conséquent, cet article examine l’effet de l’adoption des IFRS sur la reconnaissance rapide des pertes, un indicateur de la qualité de l’information comptable. Les données financières de 34 entreprises cotées à la Bourse de Casablanca, couvrant la période de 2009 à 2019, sont analysées en utilisant une régression logistique dans le cadre d'une méthodologie économétrique quantitative. Deux panels équilibrés ont été constitués : l'un regroupant 14 entreprises ayant adopté les normes IFRS, et l'autre constitué de 20 entreprises suivant les normes comptables marocaines. Les résultats indiquent que la qualité des bénéfices (mesurée par la reconnaissance rapide des pertes) ne s’est pas améliorée après l’adoption des IFRS. Cette constatation implique que les régulateurs comptables et les organismes comptables des pays africains devraient encourager une application rigoureuse des IFRS en formant continuellement les comptables et auditeurs des entreprises cotées sur la mise en œuvre pratique de ces normes. Ces formations devraient être obligatoires et accessibles.

When an agency relationship is created, it confers on the parties obligations which must be fulfilled by the parties. These obligations do not remain forever as they can come to an end. This can be done under normal circumstances by the act of the parties or by operation of the law and when the conduct of the agent is in contradiction to the mandate agreement as may be the case if the agent is liable for serious misconduct as provided by the OHADA Uniform Act on General Commercial Law. The provisions of the act regarding termination on grounds of serious misconduct is worrisome, as the act talks about termination in such manner only for commercial agents and is silent about the other two types of agents: the broker and the commission agent. The act also, does not tell us what this serious misconduct it mentions by the commercial agent is, nor gives us insights on what constitutes such conduct to warrant termination of the mandate of the agent by the principal. When termination of the agency is done under conditions as such, it has grave consequences on the agent who might not be entitled to certain benefits associated with termination of the contract such as loss of the right to compensatory allowance or indemnity and more importantly may give room to arbitrary or wrongful termination of the mandate of the agent. Through analytical and comparative studies, this paper focuses on termination of the mandate of an agent under the OHADA Uniform Act on General Commercial Law, wherein, the different modes of termination of the mandate of an agent have been discussed, and more specifically makes an attempt in looking at what serious misconduct is and what could amount to such conduct so as to avoid arbitrary or wrongful termination. It is therefore suggested that, statutory guidelines found in other statutes in relation to the subject matter can serve as a lamp light in our context.

This editorial delves into the evolving context of doing business in Africa, tracing its journey from being dubbed the “hopeless continent” to becoming a beacon of hope and opportunity. Drawing on a wealth of scholarly research, it highlights Africa's increasing attractiveness for global investments, underscored by rising FDI inflows and the emergence of a vibrant middle class. Despite these promising trends, the editorial also sheds light on the persistent challenges, including institutional fragility and political instability, coupled with limited representation in the existing international business discourse. We advance a more nuanced understanding of Africa's business environment, emphasizing the need for responsible growth, improved governance, and sustainable development. Thus, the Special Issue offers insights into the complexities and challenges of doing business in Africa, as well as the paradoxes and potential for fostering competitiveness and inclusive growth on the global stage.

To provide protection against harm caused by defective, unsafe products and to promote product safety, the law of product liability has developed as a specialized area of the law of delict (tort). The vexing question is, who should bear such liability? This contribution interrogates the notorious EU development risk defence, which exonerates manufacturers that meet certain stringent requirements for undiscoverable development risks in products that consequently inflict harm on consumers. In particular, it considers the election by South Africa, which recently adopted a “strict” product liability regime with the introduction of the Consumer Protection Act 2008, not to adopt such a defence. The purpose of this contribution is to consider the nature and scope of the development risk defence as contained in article 7(e) of the European Union (EU) Product Liability Directive and to determine whether it was prudent for South Africa to steer clear of incorporating a similar defence in its new statutory product liability regime.

A l’instar des autres secteurs d’activités, l’entrepreneuriat féminin est buté à de multiples problèmes dans le secteur de la logistique et des transports au Mali. Ces problèmes sont d’ordre organisationnel et sont dus à la complexité de la planification du matériel de transport ainsi que la gestion du personnel tant bien administratif que celui de la conduite. Ces multiples problèmes font que les entreprises de transport et en particulier celles du secteur de la logistique et des transports naissent et disparaissent en un laps de temps. Selon le droit OHADA, la durée de vie d’une entreprise est de 99 ans. Cette durée est largement supérieure à la durée moyenne de vie de nos entreprises du secteur de la logistique et des transports qui varie entre 10 ans et 20 ans. L’objectif de  l’étude est d’établir un lien entre l’entrepreneuriat féminin dans son ensemble et le cas spécifique de la logistique et des transports au Mali. La méthodologie utilisée consiste à faire d’abord une recherche documentaire permettant d’analyser l’évolution des entreprises du secteur de la logistique et des transports, leur durée de vie moyenne puis une étude qualitative a été faite à l’aide d’un guide d’entretien adressé à des personnes cibles. Le guide d’entretien a été adressé aux personnes suivantes : 3 entrepreneurs du secteur de la logistique et des transports, 2 agents de la Direction Générale des Transports, 2 agents de la Direction générale du commerce et de la concurrence, 2 agents du conseil malien des chargeurs, 2 agents de l’Agence pour la promotion des investissements. Les résultats de l’étude montrent la fragilité du dit secteur qui défavorise l’entrepreneuriat féminin et entraine souvent le déclin rapide des entreprises de la logistique et des transports. De même, l’étude montre que le taux de rentabilité interne des entreprises dudit secteur est faible. Like other sectors of activity, women's entrepreneurship faces multiple problems in the logistics and transport sector in Mali. These problems are of an organizational nature and are due to the complexity of the planning of transport equipment as well as the management of both administrative and operational personnel. These multiple problems mean that transport companies, and in particular those in the logistics and transport sector, are born and disappear in a short period of time. According to OHADA law, the lifespan of a company is 99 years. This is much longer than the average lifespan of our companies in the logistics and transport sector, which varies between 10 and 20 years. The objective of the study is to establish a link between women's entrepreneurship as a whole and the specific case of logistics and transport in Mali. The methodology used consists of first conducting documentary research to analyse the evolution of companies in the logistics and transport sector, their average lifespan, and then a qualitative study was carried out using an interview guide addressed to target people. The interview guide was sent to the following people: 3 entrepreneurs in the logistics and transport sector, 2 agents of the Directorate General of Transport, 2 agents of the Directorate General of Trade and Competition, 2 agents of the Malian Shippers' Council, 2 agents of the Agency for the Promotion of Investments. The results of the study show the fragility of the said sector, which disadvantages female entrepreneurship and often leads to the rapid decline of logistics and transport companies. Similarly, the study shows that the internal profitability rate of companies in this sector is low.

International trade rules enshrined in agreements like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) promote free trade, with exceptions for environmental protection. This paper explores the tension between these rules and Earth Systems Science's concept of planetary boundaries, which define environmental tipping points beyond which humanity faces irreversible harm. We analyse GATT's provisions, particularly Article XI's prohibition on trade restrictions and Article XX's exceptions, through the lens of planetary boundaries. Our analysis argues that current interpretations of these articles are inadequate to address the environmental impact of raw material trade. We further examine the concept of permanent sovereignty over natural resources, which grants states autonomy over resource exploitation and trade. We posit that planetary boundaries are not a restriction on sovereignty but a call for modifying state trading behaviour and consequently how international trade rules is structured and interpreted. This analysis demonstrates the complexity of transforming the legal landscape necessary for a global just energy transition, a response to climate change that requires aligning international trade with environmental sustainability.

La RSE peut s'immiscer en droit des sociétés OHADA au travers des codes de gouvernement, pourvu qu'ils adoptent un changement de paradigme ou de la vision dominante limitée à l'organisation des relations entre les actionnaires et les dirigeants sociaux. Or, pour intégrer les enjeux de la RSE, ces codes doivent élargir leur champ aux différentes parties prenantes à la vie de l'entreprise, notamment des salariés, clients, fournisseurs, créanciers, populations locales et l'État. Un tel changement de paradigme peut se fonder sur la conception mixte de l'intérêt social et la récente consécration du reporting extrafinancier dans l'espace OHADA. Ceci implique par ailleurs que les organisations représentatives des entreprises fassent participer les parties prenantes, en amont, au processus d'adoption et en aval, au contrôle d'application de codes de gouvernement d'entreprise à travers, par exemple, un comité RSE ou ESG.

The study explores the reaction of stock markets to anticipated or unexpected rating announcements by the market in a crisis context by conducting an empirical study on the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) stock market over the period from December 2010 to August 2022. The results show that the crisis context support the anticipation of bad ratings and neutral ratings as opposed to good ratings. These results validate the asymmetry in investor reaction to announcements of anticipated rating downgrades compared with announcements of upgrades in times of crisis. This reaction highlights the irrational behave of investors in times of crisis. In fact, when investors detect a risk concerning the financial situation of a stock, they anticipate a downgrade and react quickly, even before the official announcement of the downgrade, by selling their shares on masse. This action will cause the share price to fall. Similarly, the market’s weak reaction to early good announcements is explained by the fact that this type of announcement does not provide them with any unknown information to guide their financial decisions.

This research is driven by the rapid spread of fintech, and its contributions to Tanzania’s economic growth. This study uses quantitative quarterly time series data from Tanzania from 2008 to 2022. The Augmented Dicky Fuler (ADF) is used for the stationarity test, Johansen Cointegrations for the hypothesis and Cointegrations test, VAR and VECM for testing both short-run and long-run causality relationships, and Granger Causality for testing variable causality. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model is used for parameter estimation, modelling and significance testing. The results show that the model is statistically significant and the independent variables in the regression accounted for around 89% of the overall variation in GDP. Fintech variable subscriptions have a positive impact on Tanzania’s economic growth. Thus, unemployment in Tanzania may be alleviated by the growing sector of financial technology. Fintech has involved many people from all over the world, including Tanzania, and has had a positive impact on both the national economy and per capita growth. Since TTCL and ZANTEL have witnessed a sharp decline in subscriptions, the government, as a fixed-wired broadband service provider, must take the necessary steps to increase the subscriptions.

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.

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.

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.