AIT faculty appointed member of an international experts' panel
Dr. Roland Amoussou Guenou, a visiting lecturer at the School of Management (SOM), has been appointed by the International Financial Corporation (The World Bank Group) as a member of an international experts' panel for a short term mission to review a landmark legal reform program in Africa.
This reform, known as OHADA (Organization for Harmonization of Business Law in Africa) was launched in 1993 and is now applicable to sixteen sub-Saharan African countries. This legal reform is intended to create a business-friendly environment to promote entrepreneurship and attract foreign investment.
This appointment comes as a coincidence as Prof. I. Pandey, Dean of School of Management, offered Dr. Roland the chance to teach a course on 'Legal Reforms and Issues of International Business' this August Semester. The World Bank 'Doing Business' and the 'OHADA' reform were included in the syllabus well before he was contacted by the World Bank.
As a member of the committee, Dr. Roland was requested to make an assessment of a key component of the new system (Arbitration Law and Practice). The mission will involve trips within Africa to interview senior officers in charge of the implementation and training. It would be a good opportunity to suggest to the World Bank Group that it explore possibilities to integrate the use of technology into its legal reform projects.
According to Dr. Roland, this is a prestigious assignment and great honor that he would like to share with the AIT community. It is also a unique occasion to promote the Asia-Africa initiative within the World Bank development program and in Africa.