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REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
-------Peace work home
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REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
-------Peace - Work - Fatherland
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FRAMEWORK LAW N ° 2011/012 OF 6 MAY 2011
CONSUMER PROTECTION IN CAMEROON

The National Assembly deliberated and adopted,
The President of the Republic promulgates the law, the content of which follows:
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Chapter I:
General provisions
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Article 1 :
(1) This law establishes the general framework for consumer protection.
(2) It applies to all transactions relating to the supply, distribution,
sale, exchange of technologies, goods and services relating to the protection of the
consumer.
(3) The transactions referred to in paragraph 2 above relate in particular to the sectors of
health, pharmacy, food, water, housing, education, services
financial, banking, transport, energy and communications.
Article 2 : Within the meaning of this law and the implementing texts, the following definitions are
admitted:
- Consumer : anyone who uses products to satisfy their own
needs and those of their dependents and not to resell, transform or
use within the framework of his profession, or any person who benefits from the services
on duty ;
- Restrictive business practice: Any business practice that requires
consumer to buy, rent or procure any technology, good or service
as a condition or prerequisite for buying, renting or procuring any
technology, good or service as a condition or prerequisite for buying, renting
or procure any other technology, good or service;
- Unfair business practice : any business practice which, in the context of
promoting the sale, use or supply of a good, service or
technology, adopts a methodology, including oral, written or
visual representation, which undermines fairness in a transaction;
- Abusive clause: any clause which is or which appears to be imposed on the consumer by
a supplier or service provider who has economic superiority over the
consumer, giving the former an unfair, unreasonable or excessive advantage over
the second ;

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- Consumer contract: a contract other than the rental or
employment, established between a consumer and a supplier of goods or a provider of
service, for the sale, the supply of a good, a technology or a service of
service.
Chapter II:
Principles of consumer protection
Article 3 : The national consumer protection policy is based, within the framework
treaties, laws and regulations in force, in particular the following principles:
a) The principle of protection according to which consumers have the right to the protection of
life, health, safety and the environment in the consumption of
technologies, goods or services;
b) The principle of satisfaction according to which consumers have the right to satisfaction
basic or essential needs in the areas of health, food,
water, housing, education, energy, transport, communications and
any other area of ​technology, goods and services;
c) The principle of equity according to which consumers have the right to full compensation
damages for the damages suffered and which, at the end of the provisions of this law
or other regulations in force, are attributable to the suppliers or service providers;
d) The principle of participation according to which consumers have the right and the freedom to
form voluntary, autonomous and
independent in order to achieve or participate in the promotion and defense of human rights
covered by this law.
Chapter III:
Consumer economic and technological protection
Article 4 : Unfair, restrictive or anti-competitive business practices, as well
that abusive contract and consumer clauses must be regulated and
controlled and, as far as possible, prohibited in all contracts and transactions to which the
this law applies.
Article 5 :
(1) Contractual clauses which:
- Exempt, exclude, reduce or limit the liability of suppliers or
service providers for defects, deficiencies or inequalities of all kinds
in the technology, the good supplied or the service rendered;
- Involve the loss of the rights and freedoms guaranteed to the consumer or limit them
exercise ;
- Create unfair, unreasonable, unfair contractual terms or conditions,
repressive or which return to the responsibility of the consumer of the defects, the
deficiencies or inadequacies not immediately apparent;
- Impose a unilateral arbitration clause.
(2) The contractual clauses mentioned in paragraph 1 above may be automatically
declared void by the competent court.

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Article 6 :
(1) Standard agreements or membership contracts must be drawn up in French and in
English in characters visible and legible at first sight by anyone with a
normal view. They must be regulated and monitored to ensure protection
legitimate to the consumer.
(2) The agreements or contracts referred to in paragraph 1 above must also contain
terms clear and understandable to the general public, without reference to other
contracts, rules, practices, texts and documents not known to the public or not made available
provision before or during the execution of said contracts.
(3) The parties to an agreement or contract shall each receive and keep a copy of the
texts or documents containing or proving the transaction.
Article 7 : The consumer has the right to withdraw within a period not exceeding
fourteen (14) days from the date of signing or performance of a contract, receipt
of a technology, good or service when the contract has been concluded, independently
of the place, at the initial of the supplier, the seller or his employees, agents or servants.
Article 8 :
(1) Restrictive and unfair business practices which may have adverse effects
negative effects on consumer rights, including cartels, mergers, abuses
dominant position, market sharing, false, false or
abusive, are strictly prohibited.
(2) The practices of a business or society which limit or are likely to
restricting a competitor's access to the market are prohibited.
Article 9 : Regarding the granting of credits to the consumer for the provision of
technologies, goods and services, the supplier or service provider is required to inform the
consumer in writing on the spot price, the amount of interest, the annual rate from
from which this interest is calculated, the interest rate on arrears, the number of drafts payable, the
frequency and periodicity of these drafts and the total amount to be paid.
Article 10 :
(1) The seller, supplier or service provider of a technology must supply or deliver to the
consumer a product, technology, good or service that satisfies the
minimum requirements for durability, use and reliability and which ensures its
legitimate satisfaction.
(2) The technology, good or service supplied must be accompanied by a manual,
a receipt or any other document containing, among other things, information relating to
technical characteristics, mode of operation, use and
guarantee.
(3) For transactions involving durable goods, an after-sales service must
must be insured to the consumer.
Article 11 : When the goods sold to the consumer are defective, second-hand,
reconditioned or repaired, it must be expressly mentioned, clearly and
separately on invoices, receipts, receipts or accounting documents.

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Article 12 :
(1) The sale or acquisition of a technology, good or service conditioned on
the purchase of another technology, good or service by the same consumer is
prohibited and must be repressed.
(2) The consumer must not be deprived of the possibility of acquiring a technology,
a good or service unless it is excluded by a particular text.
Article 13 : Each supplier or provider of a technology, a good or a service
must provide the consumer with fair and sufficient information in French and English,
clear and legible concerning the goods and services offered in order to allow him to make choices
adequate and reasonable before entering into a contract.
Article 14 : Any advertising intended for the consumer must comply with the legislation and
the regulations in force regarding the advertising of prices and conditions of sale.
Chapter IV:
Physical security and environmental protection

Article 15 : Competent authorities and consumer groups must create and
strengthen appropriate institutional frameworks to ensure that activities relating to
the management, collection and disposal of hazardous or toxic waste, water management
and wastewater treatment comply with relevant laws and regulations.
in terms of environmental protection.
Article 16 :
(1) Any technology or good produced locally or imported, must be inspected, tested
and measured by the competent authorities, in order to ensure that it is specific to the
consumption and that it complies with national and international standards on
environment, health and safety.
(2) The sale of a technology or a good that has not previously satisfied the
national environmental, health and safety standards is prohibited.
(3) Any technology or product constituting a potential danger must, as soon as it is observed
of this condition, be immediately withdrawn from sale and returned for testing, at the expense of the
supplier or seller, without prejudice to other penalties provided for by law
and the regulations in force.
Article 17 : Standards relating to food, pharmaceutical and
drugs must be mandatory and comply with those set by the organizations
competent international organizations and cover chemical and biological safety.
Article 18 : Any consumer good or any service dangerous to human health,
animal or environmental protection must be accompanied by an instruction manual, in particular
French and English, including easily visible warnings to allow
normal use under conditions of maximum safety.
Article 19 :
(1) The sale of unpackaged food products, with the exception of homegrown products, is
prohibited.

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(2) The packaging of any product sold must comply with the standard for the labeling of
prepackaged food in Cameroon.
Article 20 : Granting of patents, trademarks, copyrights, service marks,
authorizations, permits or any other document issued by the competent administrations to
producers or suppliers of goods, technologies or services does not in any case exempt,
the beneficiaries of liability for the damage actually caused to
consumers and who are responsible to them or to other stakeholders in the
distribution of dangerous goods.
Chapter V:
Consumer education and participation
to decision making
Article 21 : Consumers have the right and the freedom to form associations or
voluntary, autonomous and independent consumer organizations with a field and
well-defined intervention areas. They can participate in decision-making structures
at the state level.
Article 22 : Consumer associations are non-political groups with a goal
non-profit. As part of their activities, they must refrain from:
- To promote commercial and / or political activities;
- To insert commercial advertisements in their publications;
- To make selective commercial use of information and advice intended
to consumers.
Article 23 : The objectives of consumer associations are, among others:
- Promotion and protection of consumer interests;
- Representation of the individual or collective interests of consumers to
the State or suppliers and service providers from the public and private sectors;
- The collection and processing of objective information on goods and services which
exist on the market;
- The implementation of training and consumer education programs.
Article 24 : Consumer education and information programs focus on
in particular on:
- Health ;
- Nutrition and prevention of diseases related to water and food, as well as
food spoilage;
- Food hygiene;
- Environmental hygiene;
- Safety and dangers related to the products;
- Standards, in particular those relating to product labeling;
- Information on weights and measures, prices and quality, availability of goods
and services and environmental preservation;

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- Legislative and regulatory texts relating to consumption, in particular with regard to
concerns the repair of damage caused by technologies, goods and services
provided.
Article 25 :
(1) A National Consumer Council is hereby established, reporting to the Minister in
consumption charge.
(2) The National Consumer Council is an advisory body whose mission is:
- To promote the exchange of views between public authorities, organizations of
protection of the collective interests of consumers and employers' organizations;
- To promote consultation between representatives of consumer interests and
representatives of employers' organizations on questions relating to the protection of
consumer;
- To issue opinions on all draft texts of a legislative and regulatory nature
that may have an impact on the consumption of goods and services or on the
Consumer Protection ;
- To study all questions relating to the consumption of goods and services or to the
consumer protection submitted to it by the government.
(3) The organization and functioning of the National Consumer Council provided for in
paragraph 1 above are fixed by regulation.
Chapter VI:
Repairing damage to consumers
Article 26 :
(1) The defense in court or before any arbitration body of the interests of a
consumer or group of consumers can be individual or collective.
(2) Individual defense is that made by the injured consumer or by his
Have rights.
(3) Collective defense is ensured by a consumer association or a
non-governmental organization working for consumer protection.
Article 27 :
(1) The action aimed at the defense of the interests of consumers is brought before the
competent courts or brought before arbitration bodies either by the
injured consumer or by his beneficiaries, or by one of the structures referred to in
paragraph 3 of article 26 above.
(2) The action referred to in paragraph 1 above may be preventive or restorative.
(3) Preventive action is that which tends to put an end to the threat of infringement of rights
of the consumer. It can only be brought by an association of
consumers or by a non-governmental organization.
(4) The restorative action is that which results from an infringement of the rights of a consumer
or a group of consumers.
Article 28 : Within the framework of the instruction of any procedure relating to the protection of
consumer, the burden of proof to the contrary of the alleged facts lies with the seller,
supplier or service provider.

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Article 29 : Decisions rendered within the framework of proceedings brought by an association
non-governmental produce with regard to all consumers, all their effects
beneficial and can be claimed by a consumer or group of consumers
to obtain compensation for the damage suffered.
Article 30 :
(1) In the context of consumer protection, it is created at the level of each
district, an appeals committee whose mission is to ensure the public service
arbitration of disputes relating to consumer protection.
(2) The organization and functioning of the committees provided for in the above paragraph are set
by regulation.
Article 31 :
(1) The consumer may request the cancellation or revision of the contract without prejudice
compensation for the damage suffered.
(2) The request for cancellation is based on defects or latent defects which affect the
quality of the technology, good or service covered by the contract.
(3) The consumer may demand replacement or repair at the expense of the seller,
the supplier or service provider of the technology, good or service
without prejudice to his right to compensation for the damage suffered.
(4) During the repair period, which may not exceed fifteen days from the date of
delivery of the goods or the finding of a defect in the technology or service,
the seller, supplier or service provider must provide the consumer with a
good, a replacement technology or service so as to avoid any
inconvenience to the consumer. Failure to provide or the impossibility to do so is
resolves in damages negotiated with the consumer.
(5) Under the terms of the negotiation provided for in paragraph 4 above, the dissatisfied consumer
retains its right to take legal action.
Chapter VII:
Criminal provisions
Article 32 :
(1) Shall be punished with imprisonment of six months to two years and a fine of two hundred
one thousand to one million francs or one of these two penalties only, whoever provides
erroneous information about the quality of technologies, goods or services provided to
a consumer.
(2) Anyone who gives false
information to the competent authorities or any structure, body or association
of consumers during an investigation conducted under this Act.
Article 33 : Without prejudice to the criminal liability of managers or employees of companies
commercial sales, supply or provision of services, technology or goods,
legal persons may be sentenced to double the fines provided for in
Article 32 above, if the offenses committed by their managers or employees have been committed
on occasion or in the exercise of their functions within said structures.
Article 34:
(1) Where one of the offenses referred to in this chapter has caused injury to a
consumer, the amount of compensation for compromised rights is

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doubled, plus legal interest from the date of receipt or
compromise.
(2) In this case, the provisional execution relating to the repayment of the principal is
pronounced notwithstanding any remedy.
Article 35 : Is void, any clause of exemption or limitation of liability or
reducing the scope of the guarantees contained in the contract of sale, supply of goods or
technologies, service delivery to a consumer.
Article 36 : Legal persons whose directors are guilty of
infringements of this law may be subject to the additional penalties provided for by the
Penal Code.
Chapter VIII:
Miscellaneous and final provisions
Article 37 : Consumer contracts must be interpreted in such a way as to preserve the
consumer rights.
Article 38 : The modalities of application of this law are, as necessary, defined
by regulation.
Article 39 : This law, which repeals all previous contrary provisions, will be
registered and published under the emergency procedure, then inserted in the official journal in
French and English.

Yaoundé, May 6, 2011
The president of the Republic
Paul BIYA

