COTE D’IVOIRE Law and Practice Contributed by: Andy Lionel Biaou, Evelyne Biaou and Marine Quintric, Houda Law Firm
erally addressed through existing sectoral regulations and internal corporate governance practices. Environmental obligations are primarily governed by the Ivorian Environmental Code (Law No 2023-900 of 23 November 2023), which requires companies under - taking certain projects to: • conduct environmental and social impact assess - ments (ESIAs); and • comply with environmental protection and sustain - ability standards. Social aspects are primarily regulated by the Ivori - an Labour Code (Law No 2015-532), which sets out obligations concerning employee protection, working conditions, health and safety and labour relations. Governance requirements are primarily derived from OHADA corporate law, which establishes rules on corporate governance, including the organisation of management bodies, the role of directors and statu - tory auditors and internal control mechanisms. In practice, ESG considerations are often implement - ed on a voluntary basis, particularly by large compa - nies, subsidiaries of international groups or entities subject to international compliance standards. 7.2 ESG Developments Ivorian legislators have not yet adopted a compre - hensive ESG reporting regime applicable across all sectors. However, recent developments reflect a gradual strengthening of transparency and governance stand - ards. In particular, the introduction of the beneficial owner - ship register under Law No 2024-362 of 11 June 2024 enhances transparency regarding corporate owner - ship structures and aligns Côte d’Ivoire with interna - tional standards, including those promoted under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). In sector-specific contexts, particularly in extractive industries, regulatory frameworks impose transpar - ency obligations regarding revenues, contracts and
ownership structures, reflecting increasing alignment with international ESG expectations. More broadly, ESG considerations are gaining impor - tance in practice, driven by international investors, development finance institutions and multinational corporate standards, rather than by binding domestic ESG legislation.
8. Artificial Intelligence 8.1 Board Oversight of AI
As of today, Ivorian law does not contain specific legal or regulatory requirements relating to board oversight of artificial intelligence. There are no mandatory rules on AI-specific board composition, AI committee man - dates, AI-related risk frameworks or AI controls. In the absence of an AI-specific regime, board over - sight of AI-related activities is governed by the general provisions of the AUSCGIE on board duties, as well as by sector-specific frameworks. Directors remain bound by their general duty to identify and supervise material risks affecting the company, which – in prac - tice – may include AI-related risks when AI systems are deployed at scale. 8.2 AI Use-Related Risks There is currently no cross-sectoral AI governance framework in Côte d’Ivoire. Companies operating in Côte d’Ivoire generally rely on internal policies, con - tractual safeguards and sector-specific regulations to address risks associated with the use of AI. 8.3 Liability Exposures Arising From AI Use In the absence of a dedicated AI liability regime in Côte d’Ivoire, liability exposures for boards and offic - ers arising from AI use are governed by the general framework applicable to directors’ and officers’ duties, combined with sector-specific rules. 8.4 Key Disclosure Requirements for AI Use Ivorian law does not currently impose specific dis - closure requirements on companies regarding AI use, strategy, governance, risks, incidents or controls. There is no dedicated reporting framework for AI in annual reports, sustainability reports or prospectuses.
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