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Sage, a leading global vendor of business management software, said it has won a court cases against a Cameroon firm illegally using its software.

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Ngwa Bertrand

05.Aug.2014

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Sage, a leading global vendor of business management software, said it has won a court cases against a Cameroon firm illegally using its software.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

05.Aug.2014

Hits: 2385

Sage, a leading global vendor of business management software, said it has won a court cases against a Cameroon firm illegally using its software.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

05.Aug.2014

Hits: 3599

NJ is the managing partner of Centurion. The firm has grown from 2 lawyers to 35 lawyers, thanks to his leadership, with offices in Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Cameroon, South Sudan, United ArabEmirates and two liason offices in Houston and Toronto. His experience includes advising major companies on investment strategies, the establishment of joint ventures and cooperation structures, privatisation, licensing and related tax, OHADA and Equatorial Guinea law, oil and gas, local content, litigation, negotiations, governance and other matters.

He is particularly active in the structuring, negotiation and implementation of petroleum, mining, LNG, and other natural resource projects in Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Chad, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Angola, Congo and other sub-Saharan countries. His experience has included PSCs, JOAS, service agreements, concessions, oil-field service and drilling contracts, licensing and pipeline and marine transportation issues, including the sale and transportation of LNG.

Drawing from his past experience from his job with the United Nations, he continuously advises governments on judicial modernisation, rule of law issues, training of judges, prosecutors and lawyers in Equatorial Guinea, Chad, South Sudan, Uganda and Niger on a pro bono basis.

He regularly participates in industry-specific conferences and seminars as speaker and moderator. He graduated from University of Maryland College Park and earned a JD from William Mitchell College of Law in the United States. He further holds an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology.

He is an active member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN), the Institute for Energy Law (IEL) and the Petroleum Joint Venture Association (PJVA).

He is recognised as a leading oil and gas lawyer in Who's Who Legal: Energy, the Oil and Gas Year Publication recognised him as 'a shrewd, street-smart, savvy dealmaker and major asset' andChambers and Partners recognised him as an 'important player' and a "tremendous resource'-an acknowledgement bestowed upon him by his peers in the industry.

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Ngwa Bertrand

04.Aug.2014

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There’s a revolution happening in Africa, but it is not a military revolution that requires the commitment of American troops or global peacekeeping forces. Like the shale gas discoveries made in the US a few years ago, similar discoveries happened in Equatorial Guinea nearly two decades ago. Soon after, our country began to realise the dramatic benefits resulting from the development of these resources. Equatorial Guinea is a country roughly the size of the state of Maryland. In 2013 we produced approximately 270,000 bopd.

CHANGE IS PROGRESS: The global energy market is changing, and companies are looking outside of traditional Western markets to identify new and emerging economies. The transformations happening in Equatorial Guinea provide a snapshot of what is happening across the African continent and throughout most of Asia.
In the last several years, some of the world’s largest resource exploration companies, Marathon, Exxon Mobil, Noble Energy and many more have laid the foundation for development and economic growth in many other aspects of the Equatorial Guinean economy. The growth of the Equatorial Guinean economy benefits more than just the business community in the country. It trickles down and is having a positive impact on the entire population in the form of improved infrastructure, healthcare, and education systems. With the essential infrastructure in place, President Obiang is working to transform more than just the economy of Equatorial Guinea.

THE PLAN: Together with international partners, Obiang has created a long-term development plan called Horizon 2020. This plan calls for targeted investments to: strengthen economic growth and the development of structured investments; promote critical social initiatives to ensure a transparent social climate; and develop tools for better monitoring and evaluation of household poverty and living conditions.
To achieve these goals, Equatorial Guinea is partnering with international development experts and committing more than $1 billion to this aggressive plan to improve education, healthcare, gender equality and sewage and water delivery systems.
Right now we are making progress towards these goals and working with our corporate partners to promote corporate social responsibility. One example of this type of programme is the Bioko Island Malaria Control Project, developed by Marathon Oil. Working with local institutions, this project has decreased the malaria caseload on the island by 74 percent and the mortality rate of children under five years old by 64 percent. They also run the Books for Bioko programme that raises funds and provides much-needed school supplies for students in Bioko Island. Since 2004, Marathon employees have raised more than $550,000 in support of this programme.
We want to build a robust and vibrant economy in Equatorial Guinea, not one that is dependant on one single resource or revenue stream. That is why we are taking steps to leverage the economic growth these resources have brought to our country, and use them to bring our people out of poverty.

GLOBAL PROFILE: In order to capitalise on this momentum, the Ministry of Mines, Industry, and Energy of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea is hosting the first Equatorial Guinea Economic Forum in Washington, DC on August 8, 2014 (www.egindc.com). This forum is an opportunity for American businesses to learn about the various opportunities in Equatorial Guinea and hear first hand from distinguished government Ministers about doing business in our booming emerging economy.
Equatorial Guinea and the US share many ties, government-to-government, people to people, and business ties. Many Equatorial Guinean’s travel to the US for educational opportunities and then bring their knowledge and skills back to our country to apply them to the many new and exciting opportunities here.

INVESTMENT INVITE: While much progress has been made there is much still to be done. We need more American businesses to invest in many different sectors. We have promising agricultural, financial and tourism industries that will definitely benefit from American business acumen and ingenuity. We are in the process of creating a one-stop shop for business incorporation. We have made it a priority to comply with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and we welcome any technical support from American firms and government institutions. Our infrastructure has improved drastically but we will not stop there.
We welcome the large multinational corporations as well as small- and medium-size enterprises. We still need individuals and companies that are interested in investing in our health care, education, manufacturing, and natural resource exploration. Building out these various sectors will not only create profits for the companies that invest, but it will create jobs and foster economic opportunities for the citizens of Equatorial Guinea.
All of these opportunities and more are on the agenda for discussion at the forum in Washington next week. Equatorial Guinea is open for business. We hope you will take advantage of the many opportunities we have to offer.

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Ngwa Bertrand

04.Aug.2014

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The EU-Central Africa Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) for trade and development between the EU and Cameroon will enter into force in the coming days following the recent ratification of the agreement by Cameroon. This ‘interim’ agreement will provide a sustainable guarantee of free access to the European market for any product originating in Cameroon and will foster an increase in trade and the diversification of Cameroon's economic activities.

EU Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht stated: ‘The economic partnership agreement with Cameroon is ushering a new era in relations between the EU and Central Africa. The EPA is one of the main cooperation tools to provide assistance to developing countries such as Cameroon in expanding their economies. I would very much encourage other countries in the region to join Cameroon in the EU Central Africa EPA in order to build a partnership suited to Central Africa's development goals.’

The interim economic partnership agreement provides for duty- and quota-free access to the EU market for exports from Cameroon. Cameroon, for its part, will gradually open its market to European exports over a transitional period set to run until 2023. A number of products will be excluded from the process in order to ensure the protection of Cameroon's agricultural markets and industries which it regards as sensitive. Furthermore, the agreement includes provisions on the trade defence instruments, dispute settlement and development cooperation.

This agreement constitutes a negotiated and sustainable framework for trade relations between the EU and Cameroon and provides greater security for Cameroon's exporters than the unilaterally set Generalised System of Preferences (GSP).

The interim EU-Central Africa EPA was concluded on 17 December 2007. It was signed by the EU and Cameroon on 15 January 2009. Cameroon ratified the EPA and notified its decision to the EU on 25 July. The agreement will enter into application on 4th August 2014. This application will be confirmed when all the EU Member States have completed their ratification process. Parliament approved the agreement back in June 2013.

The agreement is open to the other countries in the region (Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, São Tome é Principe and Chad) that wish to accede to it.

Background

In 2000, under the Cotonou Agreement, the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the EU opted for more ambitious trade and development relations. These new relations must be developed as part of a negotiated partnership governed by predictable and stable rules and be accompanied by development cooperation actions. These actions aim in particular to strengthen the ACP countries' institutional and production capabilities and support the necessary adjustment processes. The EPAs also strive to contribute to regional integration by promoting regional markets.

Negotiations for these trade and development agreements provided for by the Cotonou Agreement were launched in 2002. The EU-Central Africa negotiation began in October 2003. However, at the end of 2007, it became clear that it would not be possible to finalise negotiations in all the ACP countries before the end of the Cotonou trade regime on 31 December 2007.

A series of interim agreements was thus concluded in order to prevent disruption due to the expiry on 31 December 2007 of the Cotonou trade regime for exports from ACP countries to the EU. From 1 January 2008, the countries which had concluded an interim EPA were able to keep free access to the European market for all their products, while still continuing their internal process for approval of these agreements. At the same time, it was possible to continue negotiations for full regional agreements without any time constraints.

Consequently, the interim economic partnership agreement between the EU and Central Africa ratified by Cameroon must be seen as the first step in a wider and more complete partnership, in line with the objectives of the ongoing regional negotiations between the EU and the Central African region. The aim is to conclude an agreement at regional level that supports sustainable development and fosters the region's integration.

The EPA could potentially go beyond trade in goods and cover services and investment, trade-related fields such as sustainable development, competition, trade facilitation and transparency in public procurement. These subjects are included in the interim economic partnership agreement as clauses which provide for them to be negotiated at a later stage.

A few figures on EU-Cameroon trade

In Central Africa, Cameroon is the EU's leading trade partner. The EU is Cameroon's leading partner for both the country's imports (35%) and exports (46%). The EU's main exports to Cameroon are industrial goods, vehicles, chemical products and medicines. Cameroon's main exports to the EU are petroleum products, aluminium, wood and agricultural products. Agricultural exports are varied and include raw products (cocoa, coffee, banana, rubber) and processed products (cocoa-based products, processed fruit and vegetable products).

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Ngwa Bertrand

31.Jul.2014

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