On April 8, 2015, His Excellency Gnénéma Mamadou Coulibaly, Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Civil Liberties of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire and Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of OHADA officially installed the OHADA National Commission (ONC) of Côte d'Ivoire, composed of 20 members.

The ONC of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, chaired by Mr. AKO YAPI Eloi, Director of Studies, legislation and documentation at the Ivorian Ministry of Justice, was given a mandate to promote, disseminate and enrich OHADA law. It was further requested to use OHADA law as a tool to strengthen the legal security of economic activities in Côte d'Ivoire in particular, and Africa in general.

It should be noted that the ONC of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire was put in place by Decree No. 2012-965 of 2 October 2012 to set up, define the functions, composition and functioning of the National Commission of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa. Its membership, which has recently been renewed, has been diversified as representatives of the State and those of professional organizations from the private and university sectors were designated, in accordance with the guidelines adopted by OHADA concerning the organization and functioning of ONCs. Commenting on this diversified membership, the Keeper of the Seals stressed that the quality and experience of these members will contribute to the dissemination of Uniform Acts and to their effective and efficient implementation.

In the OHADA's institutional framework, ONCs are expected to play a key role in identifying the legal needs and participating in the preparation, evaluation, dissemination and improvement of Uniform Acts. Therefore, strengthening the capacity of ONCs to render them more operational is a constant concern of the Council of Ministers of OHADA which recently adopted a resolution to that effect in Yaounde on 25 July 2014.

The ceremony of April 8, 2015 is therefore in line with the momentum desired by OHADA.

The Permanent Secretary
Prof. Dorothé C. SOSSA