Ohada Anniversary Celebrations Underway

Below is the introduction statement of the Minister of Communication during a press briefing in Yaounde on October 18, 2013.

"The Secretary General of the Ministry of Communication,

The Inspector General,

The Technical Advisers,

Distinguished Inspectors,

Distinguished Directors and Heads of Divisions,

Dear Collaborators,

Fellow Journalists,

Dear Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my utmost pleasure to welcome you in this conference hall of my Ministry, which has become the usual venue we can discuss, in a friendly and convivial atmosphere, national and international current affairs issues.

In this regard, permit me to express my gratitude to all of you here present, to have, as usual, promptly and massively responded to my invitation, so as to exchange, this time, on a topic of crucial importance for the economic future of our country, Cameroon, and more globally, of Africa.

Indeed, the issue at the core of today's briefing, is the commemoration in Cameroon of the 20th Anniversary of the Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa well known as OHADA.

This major event will take place from 22 to 26 October at the Conference Centre in Yaoundé, Headquarters of OHADA Institutions, under the Distinguished Patronage of the President of the Republic of Cameroon, His Excellency Paul Biya.

In this light, and as part of festivities marking the 20 years of the OHADA Treaty, the Centre for Research and Multimedia Documentation - CREDO, organizes, the Centre for Research and Multimedia Documentation (CREDO) organizes, in partnership with the Cameroon Business Forum and OHADA Institutions, a special and international event dubbed "THE OHADA WEEK IN CAMEROON".

Fellow Journalists,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Distinguished Guests,

As you can see, Cameroon, once more, is honoured and privileged to host a major event, and in this case, the only, after another, more institutional and political, which is currently taking place in Burkina Faso.

Cameroon, OHADA's host country, will commemorate the signing of the OHADA Treaty which occurred on 17 October 1993 at Port-Louis, to help create a new economic development pole in Africa.

The Minister of Higher Education, Chancellor of Academic Orders, has been designated by the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul Biya, to lead this grand intellectual conference, jointly with the Minister of State, Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals, and the Minister of Finance.

This high-caliber encounter will hold under the theme "OHADA AT THE SERVICE OF THE ECONOMY AND OF BUSINESSES", because OHADA is a legal instrument at the service of the economic growth and performance of businesses.

Cette rencontre de haut vol s'articulera autour d'un thème central, à savoir : « L'OHADA AU SERVICE DE L'ECONOMIE ET DE L'ENTREPRISE », car le droit OHADA est bien un instrument juridique au service de la croissance économique et de la performance des entreprises.

In fact, the establishment of the Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa (OHADA) was significantly influenced by the events of globalization in the early 90s. There was a need, for all the countries concerned, to unite and react or resist.

This is why the political will of the forefathers of OHADA was unequivocal, and I quote "enacting modern and both foreign and uniform rules in the OHADA zone, that is economically attractive and conducive to both foreign and national investments", end of quotation.

OHADA was thus established as a tool for business performance and for the emergence of a large market solidly built on the foundation of legal reliability of the OHADA Law that lays the groundwork for the creation of discussion forums between economic stakeholders and experts responsible for formulating the law applicable to OHADA.

The philosophy of these joint activities is to put in context the dynamic of a relationship between the law and the economy while questioning the efficiency of the OHADA law from the perspective of economic stakeholders and legal professionals meeting within the OHADA Economic Forum on one hand and, suggest possible appropriate solutions within the context of the scientific event.