ARBITRATION WORLD Arbitration Before the Court of Arbitration of Côte d’Ivoire Louis Degos and Dara Akchoti (Paris) In order to mitigate the risks associated with the outstanding business opportunities offered in Africa, contracts often include arbitration clauses (see our article Doing business in Africa: How to Minimise the Legal Risks Resulting from Disputes, Arbitration World, Nov. 2013). Parties may, in this regard, select well- known arbitral institutions such as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). However, some African contractors may prefer institutions or rules that they consider closer to the continent. In such cases, a suitable choice could be the arbitration mechanisms of the OHADA, the French acronym for the “Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa” (see our article The Democratic Republic of the Congo Joins OHADA and its Arbitration Mechanisms, Arbitration World, Sept. 2012). The choice of arbitral institutions more specific to a country may also be contemplated. In this respect, the Court of Arbitration of Côte d’Ivoire (CACI) is one of the major arbitral institutions in West Africa. It was established in 1997 and is located in Abidjan, which is, unless the parties decide otherwise, the seat of CACI arbitrations. CACI arbi- trations are presently governed by the Arbitration Rules of the CACI, dated 19 July 2012 (the “CACI Rules”). The OHADA Uniform Act on Arbitration, dated 11 March 1999, based on the UNCITRAL Model Law, applies to issues not regulated by the CACI Rules. The CACI Rules contain many provisions similar to the ICC Rules of Arbitration, although the same terms are not always used. For instance, the CACI Rules provide that, upon constitution of the 52 K&L Gates: ARBITRATION WORLD