CARIUS & PARTNERS is a firm of legal counsel which provides quality service in business law to companies operating in the OHADA.

We are creating a network of offices across Africa particularly in the OHADA area while maintaining a presence and operations in Paris and very soon in London, New York and Hong Kong.

We are committed to the development of the African Continent and the well-being of people. To that extent, we empower start-ups and SMEs in African markets and facilitate foreign direct investments in African countries particularly in the natural resources, energy and infrastructures sectors.

Our experience, our skills and our geographical location allow us to have a pan-African vision and to accompany you in your domestic and cross-border operations.

Our approach to files is pragmatic and innovative and is based on specialized technical expertise. This approach allows us to best assist our clients to meet their ambitions and challenges in an uncertain global context.

Each conversation and interaction with our clients and third parties are a reflection of our values :

• Integrity
• Excellence
  • Because our clients deserve that we give our best. Our firm continuously mobilizes to bring relevant and appropriate solutions to the different concerns of their clients. We are committed to being a quality standard

• UBUNTU
  • Universal Global, intercultural brotherhood
  • Behaviour, Human (humane), caring, sharing, respect, compassion (love, appreciation)
  • United Solidarity, community, bond, family
  • Negotiation Consensus, democracy

We are keen to create a long term relationship with our clients based on trust. We have a strong interest in the activities of our clients to better address the operational challenges and constraints that might exist. Therefore, we promise to (1) provide bespoke, innovative and practical solutions; and (2) ensure an effective and timely delivery of transactions.

The skills and practice of business law in the OHADA zone and the various regional organisations throughout the African continent (WAEMU, ECOWAS, CIMA, OAPI), the knowledge and practice of international standards together with the knowledge of the local environment enable our team to be highly effective and practical when assisting our clients. To that extent, from the inception of their investments, we assist mining companies (and their sub-contractors) by :

• assisting them in the mining permit application process;
• performing regulatory, legal and tax due diligence of a target asset ;
• registering the local companies designed to acquire and to operate the target asset ;
• negotiating and drafting the mining contract with the relevant government agency.

During the exploration and the exploitation of the natural resources, we can assist you with :

• the legal secretary of your local company ;
• the drafting and management of employment law contracts ;
• tax fillings and tax issues;
• the drafting of any other contract necessary for the operation of the mine (finance agreement, contracts with sub-contractors etc.).

In addition, we have the capacity to work in civil law and common law jurisdictions which enable us to address our client’s queries, to negotiate and to draft contracts in French and/or in English and to manage transactions in an international environment. We can draft and negotiate legal documentation in French and English as well as in French, English and OHADA law.

Our team developed skills in various domains of business law which enable us to advise companies on both regulatory and transactional aspects of investments in the mining sector in Africa.