Conference of the Presidents of the Ohada Zone in Niamey on 11 March 2009

7 years ago, on January 17th and 18th 2002, the UIHJ was in Niger to inaugurate the very new creation of the UIHJ: the Training Unit of African judicial officers (Ufohja). Since then, the large international organization of judicial officers did not have the occasion to tread once again the native soil of Niger. This meeting constituted, moreover, a major event. Indeed, Oumarou Cissé, who was chairing the National chamber of judicial officers of Niger for more than a decade, had just passed on the torch at the time of the election of Moussa Dan Koma, new president since January 2009. One must greet the arrival at the head of the National chamber of Niger of Mr. Dan Koma whose presence within the UIHJ had become familiar through his  multiple participations in international activities. There is no doubt that president Dan Koma puts all his dynamism and his talent at the service of his Nigerien fellow-members and also to the cause of the International Union. The withdrawal of president Oumarou Cissé marks a page of the history of the profession in Niger. President Cissé, an eminent political personality of his country, a stimulator and an inspirer of the profession in Niger, is also an emblematic international figure who we had much pleasure to meet at our meetings.

Eleven delegations were present under the control of their president or their representative:

Only Mali and Senegal had not answered the invitation whereas Algeria had been invited as observer as well as Jean-Michel Rouzaud, president of the National School of Procedure of Paris and Anne Kérisit, UIHJ expert. The conference was chaired by Jacques Isnard, president of the UIHJ with, at his sides, its 1st vice president, Leo Netten, and the permanent secretary for central and Western Africa, Honoré Aggrey. The secretariat was undertaken by Rose-Marie Bruno, member of the Managing board of Ufohja and UIHJ expert. President Isnard opened the meeting by a report on the topicality of the profession since the permanent council of November 2008 in Paris.

While making a presentation of the penetration of the profession in Africa, Jacques Isnard observed that for some time one could notice a stagnation in the evolution of the profession in the Central and Western sub-regions. The council had, for this purpose, to solicit president Makosso Tock and Alphonse Kibakala of Congo Brazzaville to approach the authorities of the democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) in order to achieve a possible co-operation with this vast country.

Reconsidering the conference of Libreville (Gabon) of October 2008, the council was to hear Menié Mba, secretary of the National chamber of judicial officers of Gabon, who gave a report on the unfolding of this remarkable as well as historical event. Menié Mba, recalled that the Libreville conference had developed the topic of the Europe/African relations as regards judicial officers and was pleased with the quality of work and the considerable success that this large gathering had met in Gabon. Beyond the exceptional media environment, the range of success was to extend on all layers of society since the relays of information had reached villages. Moreover this conference made it possible to reinforce the bonds between the profession and the ministry for justice. In the prolongation of the matter of the Gabonese representative, the permanent secretary, Honoré Aggrey was to comment on the five voted recommendations in Libreville and to subject to the council the appointment of the presidents who would be in charge of the application of various provisions. The council distributed the work in the following way:

Another item on the agenda, moreover recurring, is that of the uniform statute of the judicial officer. Rosine Zongo Bogoré reports the discussions which she had with the legal direction of the UEMOA in Ouagadougou which supports the project of uniform statute. Thorough talks are being studied and an appointment with the permanent secretary, Honoré Aggrey, is envisaged.
Other questions were to still make debates such as the World day of the judicial officer which will take place on 11 June 2009 on the topic of “Justice and social stakes”, the contest mainly opened in law faculties having for topic: “The conduct and the implementation of enforcement activities in civil and commercial matter” and finally the congress of the UIHJ in Marseilles from 7 to 11 September 2009 for which President Isnard wished that many African fellow-members be designated to take part in the work of the various workshops. In addition the presence of the Ohada was evoked. The president was also to congratulate Honoré Aggrey for his implication in the academic organization since he had just been appointed as a reporter of commission.

The next Ufohja session (29th) will take place in Ndjamena (Chad) in February 2010. Two other sessions are still envisaged in 2010, in Congo and Cameroon. At the terms of the conference the president of the UIHJ was to renew all his congratulations to all presidents and heads of delegations for the considerable accomplished work since 1996 in Africa and also for the obtained results. “It is wise to continue to permanently feed the works by new ideas which will contribute to maintain the dynamism of African judicial officer which, in many regards, equal that of their fellow-members from other places” was to conclude Jacques Isnard, declaring he was proud of the work completed at the side of Yacine Sene and Honoré Aggrey for more than 12 years and was therefore very trustful in the future.