Dispute Resolution Court Litigation Côte d’Ivoire has adopted the civil law legal system. Commercial disputes are brought before the Commercial Court, which was established in 2013. Its decisions are handed down at the Courts of first and second instance in circumstances where the interests involved in the dispute are lower or equal to CFA franc 1,000,000,000 (approximately USD 1,721,000). Appeals can be brought before either the Supreme Court or the Common Court of Justice and Arbitration of the “Organisation pour l’Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires” (OHADA, the Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa). The OHADA Treaty is made up today of 17 African member- states to foster and develop economic development in Central and West Africa. Côte d’Ivoire is home to the Common Court of Justice and Arbitration of the OHADA, which will deal with commercial cases brought in all member-states. Arbitration Côte d’Ivoire is a signatory to the New York Convention and therefore it is possible to enforce foreign arbitration awards in this jurisdiction. The OHADA Uniform Act on Arbitration contains provisions for the settlement of disputes through arbitration. Foreign arbitral awards are enforceable by local courts through the procedure of exequatur. The use of alternative dispute resolution will increase with the adoption of the Law related to Conventional and Judicial Mediation on June 2014.
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