OHADA law and regional law
We assist our clients (international and multinational companies, foreign corporations, local businesses, banks and financial institutions, investors and investment funds, entrepreneurs/startups, and public-private partnerships and public entities) in Africa in understanding and applying the norms of OHADAlaw (Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa) and regional regulations, in particular UEMOA, CEMAC, and ECOWAS laws, to ensure legal security of their operations.
Areas of expertise in OHADA law and regional laws
OHADA laws and Uniform Acts
The OHADAframework has draftedd and implemented in its member states 10 Uniform Acts covering general commercial law, securities law, commercial companies and economic interest groups law, simplified recovery procedures and measures of execution, insolvency proceedings, accounting law, carriage of goods by road, cooperative societies law, arbitration law mediation .
We apply these Uniform Acts across a variety of sectors and legal matters. These texts, which harmonize business law within OHADAmember states, form the legal foundation for complex operations such as M&A, commercial disputes, and project finance.
Our expertise spans all legal challenges faced by our clients within the OHADAregion, enabling us to provide tailored solutions in compliance with local laws.
We also assist our clients in navigating the legal frameworks of regional laws such as UEMOA and CEMAC. These unified regimes facilitate a harmonized approach to business law, essential for cross-border transactions and regional projects.
Joint ventures and mergers & acquisitions
In the field of joint ventures and M&A, we leverage these norms to conduct due diligence on local companies, legally structure operations, and ensure the compliance of contractual documentation with OHADA and regional laws.
Financing
We provide advice on credit agreements and the drafting of securities under OHADA law. We help our clients navigate local regulations to optimize their financial operations and ensure compliance with regional standards.
Commercial law
We offer expertise in contract law by drafting and negotiating commercial agreements that align with local legal frameworks.
Dispute resolution
We advise our clients on litigation strategies at all stages of proceedings, whether judicial or arbitral.
Our firm represents states, state entities, and multinational corporations in international commercial and investment arbitration, both ad hoc and institutional (ICC, ICSID, CCJA, CMAP, DIAC, LCIA, SCC, CAS, etc.). Our expertise in OHADAarbitration is based on an in-depth understanding of the rules and principles governing this mechanism, particularly through the involvement of the Common Court of Justice and Arbitration (CCJA), which ensures uniformity of decisions and legal security within this jurisdiction.
We handle a wide variety of disputes arising from major industrial projects in sectors such as agribusiness, construction, defense, energy, infrastructure, mining, new technologies, satellites, and telecommunications, across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.