Twenty years have elapsed since the signing of the Treaty establishing the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA) in October 17, 1993 in Port Louis (Mauritius). During these twenty years, African countries have expressed renewed confidence in the virtues of a unified system of law and a unique mechanism for the settlement of trade disputes in order to restore a climate of trust, that is conducive for investment, and to create a new development center in Africa.

To fulfill its mission, OHADA was endowed with operational institutions (the Permanent Secretariat, the Common Court of Justice and Arbitration and the Higher Regional School for the Training of Legal Officers) whose framework has been strengthened since the revision of the Treaty on October 17, 2008 in Quebec (Canada). OHADA boasts of a rich legal arsenal comprising nine “Uniform Acts”, some of which have been revised. Several other areas and harmonization techniques are being explored in a bid to respond more adequately to the needs of economic actors.

Furthermore, the Organization continues its geographical expansion in line with its pan-African ambition: to date, OHADA numbers seventeen Member Countries and is attracting growing interests from several new countries.

In twenty years of existence, OHADA stood out as a unique model of legal integration in the world. The trust and support of the international community in favor of the Organization is being strengthened and consolidated over the years. Thus, the G8 (Gleneagles meeting, July 2005), the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) , the European Union , the World Bank Group , the African Development Bank Group, the Investment Climate Facility Fund (ICF) for Africa, the Development Bank of China, the French Republic, the Swiss Confederation , the Kingdom of Belgium, Canada , to name a few , share the same hope with OHADA Member Countries: Using the law as a lever to achieve economic growth.

Efforts are still needed, of course, to guarantee the full and effective implementation of the self-financing mechanism, the implementation of multilingualism, or the completion of the computerization of the Trade and Personal Property Credit Register (RCCM) at regional and national levels that is eagerly awaited by the credit market. However, the work done so far is huge and has contributed greatly towards the sustained economic growth in our countries in recent years. I wish to seize the opportunity of this twentieth anniversary to praise our Heads of State and Government who were able to provide Africa with such a valuable tool. I also wish to express gratitude to technical and financial partners who support the Organization's action. Finally, I call on all stakeholders to keep up the momentum for the progress of the African continent.

Pr Dorothé Cossi SOSSA
Permanent Secretary