IT Contracts and Technology Law: Training for Electricity-Sector Professionals in Dakar
In December 2023, we delivered a five-day training program in Dakar, Senegal, on technology law for professionals working in the electricity sector.
Organized in partnership with Stratec-Arc, a consulting firm active throughout West Africa, the program was designed to address, from a practical perspective, the main legal issues arising in digital projects, including IT contracts, intellectual property, software license audits, and artificial intelligence.
Legal issues at the core of IT projects
For electricity-sector companies, information systems play a critical role in day-to-day operations, including business applications, technical infrastructure, maintenance solutions, cybersecurity, data management, and the broader digital transformation of their activities.
The training focused on the main contractual issues that require particular attention, including the scope of services, service levels, rights in software and custom developments, liability, maintenance, reversibility, and software licensing terms.
The objective was to provide participants with practical tools to help them identify and address legal risks at an early stage, from the preparation and negotiation of IT projects onward.
A legal framework rooted in the civil law tradition
As in several West African countries, Senegalese law is rooted in the civil law tradition and has been strongly influenced by French law, while also being governed by its own national legislation and, in the area of business law, by the legal framework established under OHADA.
This shared legal heritage facilitates discussions around certain contractual mechanisms and legal principles, while still requiring due consideration of the specific features of local law and the regional context.
The training therefore combined legal analysis with a practical, operational approach tailored to the technology-related challenges faced by companies in the electricity sector.
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Bénédicte DELEPORTE
Avocat
Deleporte Wentz Avocat
January 2024