Financial difficulties abound for OHADA

The Yaounde meeting of OHADA Council of Ministers is expected to proffer solutions to the problems.

As Ministers of Justice and Finance of the 17 member States of the Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa (OHADA) begin meeting in Yaounde on Thursday 29 January, expectations are high as for the outcome of the 37th Council of Ministers meeting. The most pressing difficulty that needs an urgent solution is the financial hurdles facing the organisation.

During the opening of the experts committee meeting in Yaounde on 26 January 2015, it was revealed that only 56 per cent of 2014 budget was recovered. The Secretary General in the Ministry of Justice, Justice George Gwanmesia, underlined the financial crisis plaguing the pan African organisation.

The Permanent Secretary of OHADA, Professor Dorothé C. Sossa, admitted that financial contributions by member States are irregular. He added that the contributions are done by member countries that also have problems of resources.

The Director of Legislation in the Ministry of Justice, Gaston Kenfack Douajni, who is one of the experts attending the meeting, corroborated the Permanent Secretary in decrying the irregular financial contributions from member States.

He explained for instance that only 56 per cent of the 2014 budget was realized. He averred that the experts committee will examine reasons why member countries are lukewarm in their financial contributions.

The experts committee meeting that ends today brought together jurists and finance professionals from the member countries to examine how States can be bolstered to meet up with financial contributions. The meeting is also focused on drawing up the 2015 budget of the organization.

Besides financial difficulties, the organisation according to Gaston Kenfack, also has problems with staff status which he said is being worked upon. “They are enacting a new regulation concerning the staff of the organisation. Some of the staff are at the end of their tenure so the problem now is whether to organise another competitive test or...” he highlighted. At the end of the experts committee meeting, concrete proposals must have been made to serve as a blueprint for the OHADA Council of Ministers meeting that begins tomorrow in Yaounde.