The Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICArb) has called for greater public awareness and adoption of arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, saying that recent reforms have positioned Nigeria’s dispute resolution system closer to global standards.

NICArb said the Arbitration and Mediation Act (AMA) 2023 had brought greater clarity to arbitration proceedings, particularly in relation to the enforcement and challenge of arbitral awards, while efforts to train judicial officers and practitioners were helping to strengthen the system.

This was disclosed yesterday during a courtesy visit by some members of the Institute to The Guardian office in Lagos to announce their yearly conference, themed “Reimagining Arbitration in Africa: Innovation, Integration, Justice,” scheduled for November 18-20, 2026, at the Eko Hotel, Lagos.

Chairperson, NICARB Lagos, Omoloju Anuoluwapo, said the Institute was also intensifying international partnerships, professional development and public awareness as part of efforts to advance arbitration and ADR in Nigeria and Africa.

She said that arbitration offered parties an avenue for resolving disputes through a neutral and technically competent third party, stressing that neutrality remained one of the major features distinguishing arbitration from conventional litigation.

According to her, arbitrators are required to disclose any relationship or interest that could compromise or be perceived to compromise their neutrality in a dispute.

Anuoluwapo said the AMA 2023 had also strengthened Nigeria’s arbitration framework by replacing the Arbitration and Conciliation Act of 1988 and bringing the country closer to international standards.

She noted that NICARB had been promoting the new legislation since 2024, while also training judges and other judicial officers to deepen their understanding of arbitration and the changes introduced by the law.

According to her, the reforms have helped in dealing with challenges that previously affected arbitration proceedings, including delays and unnecessary court intervention.

She said an arbitral award was equivalent to a judgment and that courts were expected to operate within the limited grounds provided by law when dealing with challenges to awards.

Anuoluwapo, therefore, urged Nigerians and businesses to become more familiar with ADR, noting that many disputes were taken to court simply because parties were unaware that other mechanisms were available.

However, the Institute’s Chief Operating Officer, Williams Odah, said technology was also being deployed to expand access to arbitration and ADR.

Odah said NICArb had developed a new website and introduced online dispute resolution, allowing parties to resolve disputes without necessarily meeting physically.

Chairperson of the Conference Planning and Logistics Committee, Toriola Tawakalitu, said the judiciary was also increasingly encouraging the use of ADR, with cases being assessed to determine whether they were more suitable for mediation or arbitration.

She said the inclusion of ADR clauses in commercial agreements was becoming increasingly important because it enabled courts to refer disputes to the appropriate mechanism where parties had already agreed to it.