Doing Business in the Central African Republic
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doing business in the Central African Republic country profile international treaties and memberships government Executive: The president is chief of state and the prime minister is the international African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement structure head of government. The president is elected by universal direct suffrage and regional African Development Bank for a period of five years and is eligible for a second term. Cabinet is organisations African Union appointed by the president. and customs Development Bank of Central African States (Banque de Développement Legislative: Central African Republic (“CAR”) has a unicameral National unions des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale (“BDEAC”)) Assembly. Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Communauté Judicial: The highest courts are the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Économique et Monétaire de l’Afrique Centrale (“CEMAC“)) Court. The subordinate courts are high courts and magistrate courts. Group of 77 Next presidential elections: December 2020. International Fund for Agricultural Development International Monetary Fund economic Nominal GDP (US Billions): 2.49 Organisation internationale de la Francophonie data GDP per capita (USD): 471.94 Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States Inflation rate (% change): 2.56 Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (“OHADA”) Government revenue (% of GDP): 18.95 United Nations Government gross debt (% of GDP): 39.23 World Bank Group *Source: IMF (September 2020) CAR receives preferential treatment under the following agreements: http://ptadb.wto.org/Country.aspx?code=140 The Backbone of CAR’s economy is subsistence agriculture, together with bilateral CAR has bilateral investment treaties in force with Germany and forestry and mining. investment Switzerland. The agricultural sector generates more than half of estimated GDP. The treaties Treaties have been signed with Egypt and Morocco but these have not yet main agricultural cash crops are coffee and cotton while diamonds and entered into force. timber constitute the bulk of the export industry. CAR’s main export partners are France, Burundi, China, Cameroon and investment- African Growth and Opportunity Act Austria. The main export commodities include diamonds, timber, cotton related Cotonou Agreement and coffee. agreements / Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency CAR’s main import partners are France, the United States, India, China, institutions World Trade Organization South Africa, Japan, Italy, Cameroon and the Netherlands. The main import commodities include food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, dispute Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID Convention) electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. resolution OHADA United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) risk ratings World Economic Forum Global competitiveness index (2019): NA United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of World Bank ease of doing business (2020): 184/190 Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York Convention) Corruption perception index (2019): 153/180 intellectual A comprehensive list of IP-related treaties signed by CAR is available at: property (“IP”) http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/profile.jsp?code=CF treaties See the trade marks section below for further detail. 1 doing business in the Central African Republic legal regime CAR is a member of two regional competition bodies, CEMAC and applicable legal CAR’s legal system is based on civil law, which is based on the French OHADA. OHADA does not have an operational merger control regime in regime model. place. CEMAC does, however, have operational merger control. Merger activities in CAR should therefore be conducted with CEMAC in mind. In dispute Business disputes can be submitted to the OHADA arbitration procedure. particular, in terms of CEMAC regulation, where the parties to a resolution All national legislation has been superseded by the OHADA uniform act on concentration hold a combined market share of more than 30% in the arbitration and awards decided on by this process are binding for all CEMAC Common Market or where the parties together achieve a turnover OHADA member states. of at least F.CFA10-billion in the CEMAC Common Market, the transaction will have to be filed at CEMAC level and the CEMAC Commission will land Law No. 139/60 of 1964 remains the primary formal law governing land have exclusive jurisdiction to review the merger. acquisition, rights in CAR and the government regulates the acquisition of land and planning and other property rights. prohibited The Competition Act prohibits horizontal and vertical agreements between use The following types of tenure exist in CAR: practices individuals and entities which have the object or effect of substantially private ownership: through registration of their interest as private eliminating or restricting competition in the market. property, an entity can obtain ownership rights to land; In particular, the Competition Act prohibits agreements or concerted leaseholds (private and state land): entities can lease land from the practices that inter alia – (i) limit access to the market or the free exercise state or private parties under formal law and customary law. Leases of competition by other players; (ii) prevent prices from being freely of land within the state’s public domain are granted for fixed periods, determined by the market and therefore artificially favouring their increase generally not exceeding 20 years; and or decrease; (iii) limit or control production, markets, investments or concessions/private ownership: entities may be granted concessions allocate markets or sources of supply; or (iv) organise or create a fictive of land in the state’s private domain. shortage in order to cause a price increase. Foreign companies buying land or setting up businesses are given tax The Competition Act also prohibits abuses of dominance. incentives based on the proximity of the project to the capital, with more Where the Competition Authority of CAR concludes that a company is distant and remote projects earning a more attractive tax incentive in an abusing its dominant position or has engaged in cartel conduct, it may effort to bring development projects to the interior. impose a fine ranging from F.CFA1-million to F.CFA50-million and/or to imprisonment ranging from two months to two years. competition The Competition Act prohibits restrictive trade practices such as resale merger control The Competition Law, 2016 (the “Competition Act”), enacted by Law No. price maintenance and discriminatory practices. 2016‐06 of 30 December 2016 on Commercial Law, regulates merger Restrictive trade practices (resale price maintenance and discriminatory control in CAR. practices) are subject to a fine ranging from F.CFA100 000 to F.CFA10- A concentration is achieved in CAR where: (i) two or more previously million and/or to imprisonment ranging from one to six months. independent undertakings merge; or (ii) where one or more undertakings OHADA does not, at present, regulate prohibited practices. acquire, directly or indirectly whether by acquisition of shares, contract or The CEMAC regulations prohibit abuses of a dominant position and anti- by any other means, control of all or part of one or more undertakings. competitive agreements. Business activities in CAR should therefore be In calculating merger thresholds, CAR uses a market share threshold in conducted with CEMAC in mind. In particular, in terms of the CEMAC CAR. Mandatory notification of a merger with the Minister of Commerce is regulation, the CEMAC Commission has exclusive jurisdiction to required where the parties to the transaction (or the undertakings investigate and sanction anti-competitive agreements and abuses of economically linked to the parties) have a combined market share of at dominance where trade between CEMAC member states is affected. least 30% in CAR or on a substantial part of CAR. employment CAR is a pre-implementation regime, therefore approval must be sought requirements from the Minister of Commerce prior to implementation of the proposed transaction. immigration Expatriates working in CAR must hold a valid work permit. Any breach of the merger control regulation (including a failure to notify) is There is no restriction on the number of foreigners that an investor may subject to a fine ranging from F.CFA2-million to F.CFA200-million and/or employ, however, expatriates are expected to be understudied by local to imprisonment ranging from two months to two years. staff and training programmes are to be conducted for local staff. 2 doing business in the Central African Republic local In terms of CAR’s employment legislation, employees seconded to CAR National Social Every employer must register with the CNSS. employment vs must be employed by a local company and have an employment contract Security Fund The registration of employees for social security is no longer completed at secondment or a letter of employment endorsed by the Labour Minister. (Caisse the GUFE. It must be completed directly at the CNSS offices. Nationale de fixed-term Fixed-term contracts are allowed in terms of the CAR Labour Code for a Sécurité Sociale, contracts and maximum period of two years. (“CNSS”)) temporary employment Regional The company must file a declaration at the Regional Directorate of services Directorate of Employment following registration,