Procedures
Commercial courts with an appellate commercial chamber and CCJA final appeal
Côte d'Ivoire has a dedicated Tribunal de Commerce in Abidjan and, since 2016, a Cour d'Appel de Commerce. General civil procedure follows the 1972 Code. Enforcement runs through the OHADA Uniform Act, with CCJA appeal on Uniform Act points.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Tribunal de Commerce and Cour d'Appel de Commerce for commercial matters; Cour de cassation or the CCJA above them.
- Deadline — Appeal in commercial matters: 15 days, shorter than the general civil one month
- Deadline — Opposition to an injonction de payer: 15 days
- Deadline — CCJA pourvoi: two months
Governing law
- Loi n° 72-833 portant Code de procédure civile, commerciale et administrative
- Loi n° 2016-1110 créant les juridictions de commerce
- Acte uniforme portant organisation des procédures simplifiées de recouvrement et des voies d'exécution
In practice
The specialised commercial courts created in 2016, with judges sitting alongside lay assessors drawn from business, were intended to make Abidjan a credible seat for regional commercial disputes — reinforced by the CCJA's presence in the same city. The shortened fifteen-day commercial appeal window is a frequent trap for counsel used to the general civil timetable.