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Author: ValidWave Editorial

The revised OHADA Uniform Act on Accounting Law (SYSCOHADA Révisé 2017) brought the most significant overhaul of francophone African accounting standards in over a decade. For accountants and finance officers in DRC, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and all 17 OHADA member states, SYSCOHADA Révisé is the framework governing enterprise accounts, and applying it is a compliance obligation rather than a choice.

Not-for-profit entities are a separate case. The Uniform Act on the accounting system for not-for-profit entities (SYCEBNL), adopted by the OHADA Council of Ministers at its 53rd session in Niamey, Niger on 21 and 22 December 2022, has applied since 1 January 2024 to every not-for-profit entity with its registered office in a member state or carrying on its activities there, unless that entity falls under public-sector accounting, an accounting system governed by a special regime, or specific national provisions. Associations, professional bodies and development projects should therefore be working to SYCEBNL, not to the chart of accounts described below.

What Changed in SYSCOHADA Révisé 2017?

The 2017 revision introduced several critical updates to the chart of accounts, financial statement presentation, and recognition principles:

  1. Alignment with IFRS:The revised system moved closer to IFRS in areas such as financial instrument classification and lease accounting, which made dual-reporting comparisons easier for entities with international investors. The IFRS side is now moving again: IFRS 18 Presentation and Disclosure in Financial Statements, issued by the IASB in April 2024, replaces IAS 1 for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027, with earlier application permitted, so dual reporters should be planning those presentation changes rather than treating the SYSCOHADA-to-IFRS mapping as settled.
  2. Simplified SME Framework:Smaller entities report under the “système minimal de trésorerie”, a cash-basis framework that Articles 13 and 28 of the 2000 Uniform Act had already provided for very small enterprises. What the 2017 revision did was keep it alongside the normal system, abolish the intermediate “système allégé”, re-work the SMT so that an eligible entity may optionally keep simplified records on an accruals basis, and substantially raise the turnover ceiling below which small entities qualify — so check your turnover against the ceilings set out in the Act, and note that the système allégé is no longer available as a middle tier.
  3. Updated Chart of Accounts:The most impactful changes affect fixed asset accounting (Class 2), financial liabilities (Class 1), and payroll-related accruals (Class 4).
  4. Statement of Cash Flows:The Tableau de Flux de Trésorerie has been a required annual statement for normal-system entities since the Act took effect on 1 January 2018. It took the place of the Tableau financier des ressources et des emplois (TAFIRE), which Article 26 of the 2000 Uniform Act had required of normal-system entities, and it calls for a full reconciliation from net income to operating cash flows.

What Accountants Must Do Now

The AUDCIF and the revised SYSCOHADA took effect on 1 January 2018 for entities’ individual accounts, and on 1 January 2019 for consolidated accounts, combined accounts and financial statements produced under IFRS. Both dates are long past, so the chart of accounts set out below is not a migration target but the standing requirement, and reports still prepared on the pre-2017 structure are non-compliant. If any part of your ledger or reporting pack has not been brought into line, this checklist covers the remediation:

Need Help?

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