Alegeh, Mourre for first ICA Africa regional arbitration conference

President of the International Court of Arbitration (ICA), for International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Paris, Mr. Alexis Mourre and the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Augustine Alegeh, (SAN), are expected to deliver keynote speeches at the opening ceremony of the first ICC Africa Regional Arbitration Conference in Nigeria.

Planned   in conjunction with the International Chamber of Commerce, Nigeria (ICCN), the event will start from Sunday, June 19 to Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The conference, which has its theme: “Arbitration and Africa Prospects and Challenges”, is being supported by the NBA.

According to the Chairman of the Planning Committee and Vice President ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, Mrs. Dorothy Ufot, (SAN), the three-day conference will focus on the relationship between inward foreign investment in emerging markets in Africa, the types of disputes which may arise, and the African experience resolving investment and other business disputes by arbitration.

The Conference, she said will also offer a veritable platform for CEOs of companies investing in African countries to share their experiences in investing in Africa, as a backdrop to the subsequent discussions of the relationship between Arbitration and Investment, particularly FDI.
She said:  “there is currently, a rapidly growing interest in African arbitration and this conference being the first to be hosted by the ICC International Court of Arbitration on the continent will offer an opportunity for a wide range of experts and participants to discuss the challenges and prospects of Arbitration in Africa, with a view to enlightening delegates on the arbitration process and the common pitfalls to avoid in the quest for expeditious and cost effective resolution of business disputes by arbitration.”

“Other participants for the Conference include: Monica Mbanefo, former Director, International Maritime Organization (IMO), United Nations, Sami Houerbi, Director, ICC Dispute Resolution Services for Eastern Mediterranean, Middle-East & Africa, and Jimmy Kodo, Special Advisor to the President, Common Court of Justice and Arbitration of OHADA, Abidjan and a host of others who will examine the ICC experience dealing with Africa-related arbitration” She added.

The conference will have in attendance practicing lawyers, arbitrators, judges, engineers, architects, accountants, quantity surveyors, academics, corporate counsel, LL.M. students as well as prominent corporate sector players who will all add value to the conference as speakers on various panels and sessions.