OHADA Seminar, KINSHASA - October 12, 2004

• 20/10/2004
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The OHADA Seminar which took place in KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, on October 12, 2004, under the patronage of His Excellency, Mr. KISIMBA NGOY, Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals, had been jointly organized by the Franco-Congolese Chamber of Commerce and the DRC OHADA Club. This Seminar was a highly successful event and constituted a unique opportunity for lawyers, entrepreneurs, Government officials and politicians to exchange views about the OHADA common system of business laws and the imminent prospect of the DRC joining this system. The Seminar was financially supported by the French Embassy, COPIREP and numerous international business corporations operating in the DRC. The first guest speaker was Mr. Michel LECERF, Attorney at Law, LANDWELL Law Firm in Paris; Mr. LECERF who is one of the first movers behind the business law unification process undertaken in Africa at the beginning of the 1990's, gave an insightful presentation of the history and founding principles of OHADA. Mr. LECERF and one of his partner-attorneys in Brazzaville, Mr. Prosper BIZITOU, then proceeded with a general presentation of the OHADA body of substantive business law with a comprehensive review of the OHADA Uniform Acts. The first morning session ended with the presentation of Mr. Urbain BABONGENO, Attorney at Law and Founding President of the DRC OHADA Club, co organizer of the Seminar. Mr. BABONGENO demonstrated how OHADA constituted an historic opportunity for the DRC to improve its legal standards and therefore for all the Congolese lawyers and practitioners as well as for the Congolese entrepreneurial community and international investors. The second morning session started with the presentation by Mr. Benjamin NZAILU, Price Waterhouse Coopers , of the OHADA uniform accounting law and accounting system; Mr. NZAILU pointed out how this system constituted a clear, modern and reliable accounting framework in line with all the existing international accounting standards. Professor Roger MASAMBA, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the Protestant University of Congo, a staunch supporter of OHADA, then printed his mark on this second morning session with a vibrant and conspicuous plea in favor of OHADA and of the swift adhesion of the DRC to the OHADA common system of business laws. Mr. Prosper BIZITOU rebounded on Mr. MASAMBA's plea, stressing how much his own neighboring country, the Republic of Congo, had greatly benefited from OHADA in terms of legal reliability and increased international and national investors'confidence. Numerous entrepreneurs as well as Congolese Government officials and lawmakers from the National Assembly and the Senate were invited at the lunch where a free debate about OHADA and the imminent adhesion of the DRC took place, Mr. LECERF acting as a moderator. His Excellency, Mr. George SERRE, French Ambassador, expressed his gratitude for the huge work in favor of the promotion of OHADA in the DRC accomplished so far by the DRC OHADA Club and the Franco-Congolese Chamber of Commerce; Mr George SERRE made a special mention of the general view shared by all the participants to the Seminar that OHADA will constitute in the coming months and years one of the foundation of peace, stability and prosperity, all the more than the OHADA common system of business laws now encompasses a large number of Member States totalling more than 100 million inhabitants. A lively Questions & Answers forum followed the lunch; and this very successful OHADA day in KINSHASA ended with a cocktail offered to all participants by the French Embassy. The African Association for a Unified System of Business Laws(UNIDA), chaired by President Kéba MBAYE, and your website www.ohada.com, form the sincere wish that this very successful OHADA Seminar will be a defining moment in KINSHASA and will lead directly to DRC joining OHADA as swiftly as possible, in accordance with His Excellency, Head of State, President Joseph KABILA's statements and commitments, in Brussels and Paris on the occasion of his official visits in Belgium and France in February 2004.