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OHADA ENFORCEMENT GUIDE FOR SIFoCC

 

Corrected & Updated 2026 Edition

 

By Justice Dr Theophilus Tayi Tatsi

 

CAMEROON

 

 COMPREHENSIVE INTRODUCTION

The Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts (SIFoCC) is preparing a Multilateral Memorandum on the Enforcement of Commercial Judgments for Money (MME). Its purpose is to provide a clear, comparative map of how jurisdictions recognise and enforce foreign monetary judgments, arbitral awards, and mediated settlements.

Africa’s OHADA zone—seventeen States that have transferred commercial‑law sovereignty to a supranational system—offers a uniquely harmonised enforcement ecosystem. The Member States are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea‑Bissau, Mali, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, and Togo.

 

Three Uniform Acts govern the enforcement of monetary obligations:

• Uniform Act on Arbitration (UAA) 2017
• Uniform Act on Mediation (UAM) 2017
• Uniform Act Organising Simplified Recovery Procedures and Enforcement Measures (AUPSRVE) 2023

This Guide provides a verified, step-by-step enforcement pipeline, best‑practice templates, and a 2026–2028 roadmap.

 

1. COMMON PROCEDURAL PRACTICES — THE OHADA PIPELINE

1.1 Intra‑OHADA Court Judgments

OHADA has no uniform judgment‑recognition convention.
Recognition of foreign court judgments—whether OHADA or non‑OHADA—is governed by national private international law.

 

Table 1 — Intra‑OHADA Judgment Recognition

Stage	Actor	Test / Documents	Time‑Limit	Appeal
Request	Creditor	Exequatur petition + certified judgment + finality + service + translation	Day 0	–
Judicial Examination	Judge	Jurisdiction, finality, service, public policy, reciprocity	No statutory deadline	Yes
Exequatur Granted	Judge	Order stamped “exequatur”	Varies	Yes
Enforcement	Bailiff	AUPSRVE 2023 measures	Immediate	Limited

 

1.2 Arbitral Awards (UAA 2017)

• 15-day deemed-granted rule applies to arbitral awards.
• Silence of the court after 15 days = exequatur presumed granted.
• No review of the merits.
• Refusal appealable only to the CCJA.
• Awards have a res judicata effect upon rendering.

1.3 Foreign (Non‑OHADA) Court Judgments

Recognition follows national law using a convergent five-filter test:

1. Finality
2. International jurisdiction
3. Due process
4. International public policy
5. Reciprocity (some States)

1.4 Mediated Settlements (UAM 2017)

• The court must issue its ruling within 7 working days.
• If no ruling within 15 days, approval is automatically presumed.
• Notarial engrossment is an alternative route to enforceability.

 

2. OHADA MODULES FOR THE MME

Table 2 — MME‑Ready OHADA Modules

MME Section	OHADA Contribution
Green‑lane timetable	15-day deemed-granted rule for arbitral awards
Document checklist	Uniform bundle for arbitration, mediation, judgments
Public‑policy test	Narrow international public policy
Execution toolbox	AUPSRVE 2023: freeze, garnish, sell, electronic service
Reciprocity table	Applies only to foreign court judgments
Digital pilot	Côte d’Ivoire, Sénégal, Cameroun

 

3. MONETARY AWARDS OUTSIDE BILATERAL TREATIES

Foreign arbitral awards: uniform enforcement under UAA + NYC.
Foreign court judgments: national law; reciprocity varies.

Jurisdictional Notes

• Cameroon: Bijural; strong digitalisation.
• Equatorial Guinea: Spanish translation; notarization.
• Gabon: Commercial orientation; narrow public policy.
• Chad: Video hearings; logistical constraints.

 

 JUDICIAL MAPPING — STRUCTURAL INDICATORS

Table 3 — Structural Capacity Across OHADA States

Tier	States	Indicators	Digital Tools	Constraints
High	Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Sénégal, Togo	Strong commercial courts	Yes	Minimal
Moderate	Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Niger	Functional chambers	Partial	Translators
Challenged	CAR, Chad, Comoros, DRC, Congo	Security/logistics	No	Infrastructure
Language Outliers	Equatorial Guinea, Guinea‑Bissau, Comoros	Translation needs	No	Interpreter shortages

 BEST PRACTICES & STANDARDISATION TOOLS

 

5.1 One-Page Document Checklist

• Certified copy
• Finality certificate
• Service proof
• Translation
• Reciprocity memo (judgments only)
• Draft exequatur order

5.2 Mediation Homologation Template

• 7-day ruling
• 15-day automatic approval
• Notarial engrossment alternative

5.3 Public‑Policy Guidance

International public policy only:
fraud, denial of justice, money‑laundering, and sanctions.

5.4 Arbitration Timing Card

• 15-day deemed‑grant rule
• No registrar-issued stamps

5.5 Digital Filing Protocol

• Electronic acts
• Electronic service
• QR‑code verification (in pilot States)

 

6. PRIORITY AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT (2026–2028)

 

Table 4 — 2026–2028 Road‑Map

Priority	2026 Deliverable	2027–2028 Follow-Up
Exequatur deadlines	Draft amendments	CCJA practice direction
Public policy	Digest of jurisprudence	Formal guideline
Mediation	Expedited homologation	Harmonized protocol
Foreign judgments	Online database	Jurisprudence updates
Data	Begin collection	Annual report
Digital execution	Expand e-filing	QR‑code interoperability

 

COMPREHENSIVE CONCLUSION

OHADA provides a verified, supranational enforcement model:

• 15-day arbitral rule
• 7-day + 15-day mediation rule
• 3-day injunction‑to‑pay
• AUPSRVE 2023 execution toolbox
• CCJA oversight
• Digitalisation pathway

OHADA’s achievement lies in procedural discipline: publish the form, file electronically, verify service, apply the public‑policy test, issue the order, and, where the law so provides, let silence operate as approval.

 

Judge Tatsi