Revue - Les Cahiers de l'Arbitrage N°2 - 2023 - 46

AFRICA SPECIAL ISSUE
versions, came into force on 15 March 2018. 39
make the OHADA region of French speaking Africa 40
This new framework aims to
a more attractive business
environment through further harmonisation of its business laws. The legal
community's commentary resulting from the CCJA decision annulling the award 41
in Getma v Guinea 42
was possibly a further incentive for OHADA to overhaul its
arbitration rules and the set aside provisions in the new Rules.
OHADA, in reforming its arbitration framework, included at least one provision
directly related to the Getma v Guinea case as the new Rules state that while any
private agreement on the arbitrators' fees, which is made without the approval
of the Court, is null and void, such agreement does not constitute a ground for
annulment of the award. 43
It is noted however that the CCJA Arbitration Rules
provide that the fees of arbitrators shall be fixed by the Court in accordance with
the scale schedule of fees established by the General Assembly of the Court and
approved by the Council of Ministers of OHADA, in accordance with Article 4 of
the Treaty. 44
higher or lower amount than the fee scale. 45
The Rules also grant the Court power to fix the arbitrator fees at a
It is not clear whether that schedule
of fees has been amended under this new framework, as otherwise it may remain
a disincentive to arbitrators approached to act in OHADA based arbitrations.
The new framework extends the scope of OHADA arbitration to include
investment arbitrations by confirming the ability of public entities to consent to
arbitration (Articles 1 and 2), while Article 3 expressly allows foreign investors to
start an arbitration based on any instrument related to the protection of investments,
including BITs and local investment laws. 46
This is mirrored in the CCJA Arbitration Rules, which afford the Court an arm's
length jurisdiction, and which include arbitration proceedings premised on BIT's or
national investment laws (Article 2.1). 47
39. Règlement d'arbitrage de la Cour Commune de Justice et d'Arbitrage, OHADA, 23 March 2017
(entered into force on 15 March 2018) (http://www.droit-afrique.com/uploads/OHADA-Reglement2017-arbitrage-CCJA.pdf)
40.
To date, seventeen (17) States are members of OHADA: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo, Comoros, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial
Guinea, Mali, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Senegal, Chad and Togo.
41. Getma International v Republic of Guinea (I), CCJA Case No. 001/2011/ARB, Award dated
29 April 2014.
42. République de Guinée (Republic of Guinea) v GETMA International, Arrêt No. 139/2015,
Judgment of the Common Court of Justice and Arbitration of OHADA dated 19 November 2015.
The CCJA set aside the award on the grounds that the arbitrators had exceeded their mandate by
negotiating directly and making private arrangements with the parties to enhance their fees to
€450,000, in breach of a 2011 court order which limited their fees to €60,000 (approximately).
43. See also, Gaston Kenfack Douajni, " Recent Developments in OHADA Arbitration " , Global
Arbitration Review, 20 April 2020 (https://globalarbitrationreview.com/review/the-middle-easternand-african-arbitration-review/2020/article/recent-developments-in-ohada-arbitration).
44.
Règlement d'arbitrage de la Cour Commune de Justice et d'Arbitrage, OHADA, 23 March
2017 (entered into force on 15 March 2018), Rule 24.3[a] (http://www.droit-afrique.com/uploads/
OHADA-Reglement-2017-arbitrage-CCJA.pdf).
45. Ibid., Rule 24.4.
46. Uniform Act on Arbitration Law, OHADA, 23 March 2017 (entered into force on 15 March
2018), Articles 1-3 (https://www.ohada.org/en/arbitration-law/).
47. Règlement d'arbitrage de la Cour Commune de Justice et d'Arbitrage, OHADA, 23 March
2017 (entered into force on 15 March 2018), Article 2.1 (http://www.droit-afrique.com/uploads/
OHADA-Reglement-2017-arbitrage-CCJA.pdf)
320
The Paris Journal of International Arbitration 2023‑2

http://www.droit-afrique.com/uploads/OHADA-Reglement-2017-arbitrage-CCJA.pdf http://www.droit-afrique.com/uploads/OHADA-Reglement-2017-arbitrage-CCJA.pdf https://globalarbitrationreview.com/review/the-middle-eastern-and-african-arbitration-review/2020/article/recent-developments-in-ohada-arbitrat https://globalarbitrationreview.com/review/the-middle-eastern-and-african-arbitration-review/2020/article/recent-developments-in-ohada-arbitrat http://www.droit-afrique.com/uploads/OHADA-Reglement-2017-arbitrage-CCJA.pdf http://www.droit-afrique.com/uploads/OHADA-Reglement-2017-arbitrage-CCJA.pdf https://www.ohada.org/en/arbitration-law/ http://www.droit-afrique.com/uploads/OHADA-Reglement-2017-arbitrage-CCJA.pdf http://www.droit-afrique.com/uploads/OHADA-Reglement-2017-arbitrage-CCJA.pdf

Revue - Les Cahiers de l'Arbitrage N°2 - 2023

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