A bilingual country where civil law and common law coexist, and home to the OHADA Permanent Secretariat and the Bank of Central African States, Cameroon combines distinctive national law, uniform OHADA law and CEMAC community law. This page sets out how they fit together, and which prevails in case of conflict.
Select an organization to see its members, or display overlaps with Cameroon. The map challenge offers six legal geography questions. The map is in French.
OHADA, founding member; seat of the Permanent Secretariat
Highest courts
Constitutional Council, Supreme Court
Currency
CFA franc (XAF), issued by the BEAC, headquartered in Yaoundé
Regional organizations
8, including the AU and AfCFTA
Cameroon at the crossroads of regional organizations
A member of eight organizations, Cameroon is subject to complementary legal regimes: uniform business law (OHADA), economic and monetary union (CEMAC), regional integration (ECCAS) and shared management of natural resources (Lake Chad, the Niger River, the Congo Basin forests).
OHADA
founding member (1993)
Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa
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Seat
Yaoundé (Permanent Secretariat) · 17 Member states
Regulatory approach
Uniform Acts directly applicable without transposition: companies, securities, debt recovery, insolvency, arbitration, general commercial law.
Effect in Cameroonian law
Supranationality: Uniform Acts apply notwithstanding any conflicting provision of domestic law, whether earlier or later (Treaty, art. 10).
Court
CCJA (Abidjan): court of cassation for the application of Uniform Acts, in place of the Supreme Court of Cameroon. The OHADA Permanent Secretariat is based in Yaoundé.
Legal data stakes
Foundation of the LegOmnia database under construction: CCJA case law and Cameroonian decisions applying the Uniform Acts, published in French and English.
CEMAC
founding member (1994)
Central African Economic and Monetary Community
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Seat
Bangui (Commission) · 6 Member states
Regulatory approach
Directly applicable regulations and directives; customs union, regional financial market; CFA franc issued by the BEAC, headquartered in Yaoundé.
Effect in Cameroonian law
Primacy of community law: regulations apply without any national transposition measure.
Court
CEMAC Court of Justice (N'Djamena).
Legal data stakes
Community regulations, directives and decisions, notably in banking, financial and customs law.
ECCAS
founding member (1983)
Economic Community of Central African States
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Seat
Libreville · 11 Member states
Regulatory approach
Economic integration and a peace and security architecture; protocols and decisions to be implemented by member states.
Effect in Cameroonian law
Ratified instruments fall under the treaty regime (Constitution, art. 45); their practical effect depends on national implementing measures.
Court
A community court is provided for in the texts.
Legal data stakes
Monitoring of community decisions and their national implementation.
AU
founding member of the OAU (1963)
African Union
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Seat
Addis Ababa · 55 Member states
Regulatory approach
Constitutive Act and continental conventions (human rights, cybersecurity, data protection), applicable after signature and ratification.
Effect in Cameroonian law
Ratified and published conventions prevail over statutes (Constitution, art. 45), subject to reciprocity.
Court
African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (Arusha), within the limits of the ratified protocols.
Legal data stakes
Reference for continental standards, notably on personal data protection.
AfCFTA
State party to the Agreement
African Continental Free Trade Area
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Seat
Accra (Secretariat) · 54 Member states
Regulatory approach
Framework agreement and protocols: goods, services, investment, competition, intellectual property, digital trade.
Effect in Cameroonian law
In case of conflict with a regional agreement, the Agreement prevails, except between states that have achieved deeper integration (art. 19).
Court
State-to-state dispute settlement mechanism modelled on the WTO.
Legal data stakes
Monitoring of trade commitments and national implementing texts.
LCBC
founding member (1964)
Lake Chad Basin Commission
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Seat
N'Djamena · 6 Member states
Regulatory approach
Joint management of the waters and resources of the Lake Chad basin between six states.
Effect in Cameroonian law
Conventions subject to the general treaty regime (Constitution, art. 45).
Court
No community court.
Legal data stakes
Basin conventions and texts on the management of shared resources.
NBA
member state
Niger Basin Authority
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Seat
Niamey · 9 Member states
Regulatory approach
Joint management of the Niger River basin between nine states: water resources, infrastructure, environment.
Effect in Cameroonian law
Conventions subject to the general treaty regime (Constitution, art. 45).
Court
No community court.
Legal data stakes
Basin water charter and texts on the management of shared resources.
COMIFAC
member state; host country
Central African Forests Commission
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Seat
Yaoundé · 10 Member states
Regulatory approach
Coordination of forest and environmental policies in the Congo Basin between ten states.
Effect in Cameroonian law
Commitments subject to the general treaty regime (Constitution, art. 45).
Court
No community court.
Legal data stakes
Forest and environmental texts harmonised across the Congo Basin.
Common pitfalls: Cameroon is not a member
WAEMU : West African Economic and Monetary Union. It also uses a CFA franc, but one issued by the BCEAO: Cameroon belongs to CEMAC and the BEAC.
ECOWAS : Economic Community of West African States. Neighbouring Nigeria is a member, Cameroon is not.
Entente : Council of the Entente, a cooperation organization of five West African states founded in 1959. Cameroon is not a member.
OHADA and CEMAC: how they fit together
The six CEMAC member states, including Cameroon, also belong to OHADA. Two bodies of community law therefore apply there at the same time, with distinct scopes but points of contact.
Complementarity
OHADA focuses on business law (companies, securities, debt recovery, insolvency, arbitration), while CEMAC covers monetary policy (BEAC), the customs union, the regional financial market and banking regulation (COBAC).
Coexistence and overlaps
In the six countries belonging to both organizations, overlaps can arise, for example between OHADA company law and the community rules governing credit institutions or the financial market.
Two reference courts
The CCJA (Abidjan) rules on the application of the Uniform Acts; the CEMAC Court of Justice (N'Djamena) rules on the interpretation and application of CEMAC community law.
Which norm prevails?
The Cameroonian legal order has five levels. OHADA law and CEMAC law hold a special place: directly applicable, they prevail even over a later statute.
Level 1 · supreme norm
Constitution
The Constitution of 18 January 1996, amended in 2008, sits at the top of the legal order. An international commitment containing a conflicting clause can only be ratified after the Constitution has been amended.
Legal basis : Constitution, art. 44Guardian : Constitutional Council
Level 2 · supranational
OHADA and CEMAC law
OHADA Uniform Acts and CEMAC regulations are directly applicable and prevail over any conflicting provision of domestic law, whether earlier or later.
What about case law? It does not appear in the pyramid, but it shows how each level applies in practice. That is precisely the body of law LegOmnia is working to structure and make accessible.
Test your knowledge
Two interactive exercises: resolve real conflicts between norms, then check what you know about Cameroon's regional integration.
The norms referee
Score : 0
Case 1/6
The Council of Ministers adopts a new Uniform Act. Is a national statute needed for it to apply?
Which norm or court prevails?
Quiz: regional integration
Score : 0
Question 1/15
How many states are members of CEMAC?
Frequently asked questions about Cameroonian law
Does Cameroon use the same CFA franc as Senegal or Côte d'Ivoire?
No. Cameroon is a member of CEMAC, whose CFA franc (XAF) is issued by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), headquartered in Yaoundé. Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire belong to WAEMU, whose CFA franc (XOF) is issued by the BCEAO. The two currencies have the same parity but are distinct.
Does OHADA law apply in Cameroon?
Yes. Cameroon is a founding member of OHADA, whose Treaty was signed in Port Louis in 1993. The Uniform Acts are directly applicable there without transposition, notwithstanding any conflicting provision of domestic law, whether earlier or later (OHADA Treaty, art. 10).
Which court rules in cassation on OHADA law?
The Common Court of Justice and Arbitration (CCJA), based in Abidjan. It rules in cassation on the application of the Uniform Acts, in place of the Supreme Court of Cameroon (Treaty, art. 14), and its judgments are enforceable in all member states (art. 20).
What is Cameroonian bijuralism?
Two legal traditions coexist in Cameroon: civil law, inherited from the French tradition, and common law, applied in the English-speaking regions. OHADA Uniform Acts, published in French and English, apply throughout the country.
What is the status of international treaties in Cameroonian law?
Under article 45 of the Constitution, duly approved or ratified treaties prevail over statutes once published, provided the other party applies them. A commitment contrary to the Constitution can only be ratified after the Constitution has been amended (art. 44).
Which regional organizations does Cameroon belong to?
Cameroon is a member of eight organizations: the African Union, the AfCFTA, OHADA, CEMAC, ECCAS, the Lake Chad Basin Commission, the Niger Basin Authority and COMIFAC. It is not a member of WAEMU or ECOWAS.
Where does LegOmnia stand on Cameroonian law?
This is one of our priority jurisdictions and its integration is under way. We are building coverage step by step: OHADA law, shared by the 17 member states, is the foundation, progressively enriched with texts and case law specific to Cameroonian law. People on the waitlist will be the first to hear about each new milestone. OmniScan can already be deployed there today to digitise and index legal document collections.
Cameroonian law, soon at your fingertips
Join the waitlist to be among the first to access LegOmnia legal research on Cameroon and the OHADA area.
Educational summary; it does not constitute legal advice. References: Constitution of 18 January 1996 (arts. 44 and 45), OHADA Treaty (arts. 10, 14, 20), CEMAC Treaty, AfCFTA Agreement (art. 19). Memberships as of October 2026.
Jurisdiction · Central Africa