Working Visit of the OHADA Permanent Secretary with Authorities and Private Sector Stakeholders of the Republic of Mali
From 31 August to 3 September 2025, the Permanent Secretary of OHADA, Professor Mayatta Ndiaye MBAYE, undertook a working visit to Bamako to engage with national authorities and representatives of the private sector in the Republic of Mali.
During his mission, the Permanent Secretary was received in audience by H.E. Mr Moussa Alassane DIALLO, Minister of Industry and Trade, and H.E. Ms Oumou SALL SECK, Minister of National Entrepreneurship, Employment and Vocational Training. These exchanges, marked by fruitful discussions and the identification of avenues for collaboration, focused on strengthening economic sovereignty and consolidating the resilience of Malian enterprises. The Malian authorities commended OHADA's initiatives to deepen engagement with the private sector and to continuously improve the business climate in Mali and across the Organisation's Member States. They also expressed their support and provided strategic guidance for the successful organisation in Bamako of the maiden national edition of the OHADA-Private Sector Meetings (ROSEP).
For his part, the Permanent Secretary congratulated Malian public institutions on their sustained efforts to enhance the business environment and corporate governance. He welcomed, in particular, the establishment of a framework for dialogue with the private sector under the coordination of the Prime Minister, as well as the gradual adoption of sound governance practices within public enterprises—such as the appointment of independent directors and the requirement of mandatory training for directors prior to assuming their duties.
On 1 and 2 September 2025, the Permanent Secretary also held working sessions with several key institutions and organisations, including the Mali Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the National Employers' Council (CNPM), the Investment Promotion Agency (API), the Export Promotion Agency (APEX), the National Directorate for SMEs (DNPME), the Technical Unit for Business Framework Reforms (CTRCA), the National Agency for the Promotion of Youth Employment (ANPEJ), and the Organisation of Young Employers (OJEP), which has already co-organised two awareness-raising events with OHADA.
In his address to senior representatives of the Malian private sector, the Permanent Secretary recalled OHADA's mission and achievements in support of enterprises, while inviting all institutional stakeholders to mobilise in order to sustain the progress made and to meet emerging economic challenges. In particular, he underscored the importance of ongoing initiatives such as the International Congress on the Business Climate in Africa (CICAAf), the OHADA-Private Sector Meetings (ROSEP), and the Symposiums on the Governance of Public Enterprises (SYMGEP). These successive exchanges laid the groundwork for constructive and lasting collaboration between OHADA, national public institutions supporting businesses, and professional umbrella organisations, all committed to ensuring the success of the first national edition of ROSEP.
The Permanent Secretary also paid a courtesy call on Mr Fatoma THERA, President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Mali. Discussions centred notably on the upcoming first edition of the African Week of Arbitration, Justice and Commercial Information (SAAJIC), to be held in Cotonou, Benin, from 29 September to 3 October 2025. The event will feature, inter alia, a consultation meeting between the Common Court of Justice and Arbitration (CCJA) and the supreme courts of the Member States, as well as a technical workshop on the coordination of the management of the Commercial and Movable Property Register (RCCM).
