Les traités bilatéraux d’investissement, l’exploitation minière et les champions nationaux: en assurer le succès

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the policy tools available to East African states to develop 'national champions' in the mining sector and the legal constraints imposed by bilateral investment treaties (BITs). It evaluates ownership and performance requirements, contrasting their developmental utility with the restrictive nature of international investment law.

• The 'Africa Mining Vision' (2009) advocates for a shift from the 1980s focus on liberalization toward a paradigm emphasizing equity, transparency, and a stronger role for the state to ensure sustainable socio-economic development.
• States can use ownership-related tools to promote national champions, including 'free carry' obligations (granting the state a percentage of ownership without cost), joint venture requirements, the creation of state-owned enterprises as sole actors, and the expropriation of private companies.
• Performance requirements, such as local content rules and downstream processing mandates, are effective for reducing 'enclave development' and increasing national value addition, provided they are supported by capacity-building and realistic quotas.
• Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) often restrict the policy space of host states through provisions such as 'national treatment' (non-discrimination based on origin) and 'most-favored-nation' (MFN) treatment.
• The Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism allows investors to bypass national courts and seek international arbitration, which can lead to a 'regulatory chill' where states avoid public interest measures for fear of lawsuits.
• While states generally have the right to control market access before an investment is made, recent treaties (such as those between the US and Rwanda or DRC, or Canada and Tanzania) include 'pre-establishment' rights that limit this ability.
• Imposing ownership changes or performance requirements after an investment has been established is legally riskier, as it may be classified as 'indirect' or 'regulatory' expropriation, triggering a requirement for compensation.
• To preserve policy space, states are advised to avoid including market access rights in treaties, use 'positive lists' of covered sectors, or explicitly exclude the extractive sector from certain treaty obligations.

APA

Cosbey, A., Mann, H., & Cunningham, M. (2014). Les traités bilatéraux d’investissement, l’exploitation minière et les champions nationaux: en assurer le succès. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/bilateral_investment_treaties_mining_national_uneca-fr.pdf

Chicago

Cosbey, Aaron, Howard Mann, and Maxine Cunningham. Les traités bilatéraux d’investissement, l’exploitation minière et les champions nationaux: en assurer le succès. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/bilateral_investment_treaties_mining_national_uneca-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cosbey |first1=Aaron |last2=Mann |first2=Howard |last3=Cunningham |first3=Maxine |title=Les traités bilatéraux d’investissement, l’exploitation minière et les champions nationaux: en assurer le succès |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=June 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/bilateral_investment_treaties_mining_national_uneca-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cosbey2014les, author = {Cosbey, Aaron and Mann, Howard and Cunningham, Maxine}, title = {{Les traités bilatéraux d’investissement, l’exploitation minière et les champions nationaux: en assurer le succès}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/bilateral_investment_treaties_mining_national_uneca-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }