Join us for the 9th ICC Africa Conference on International Arbitration, taking place on 29-30 May 2025.
This year's conference will focus on International Arbitration in Africa: Africa's Role in shaping the next era of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Arbitration professionals and business representatives from across the world will come together to explore the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in the African context. Engage in expert-led discussions, build invaluable connections during networking events, and gain insights into the unique aspects of arbitration and ADR practices in the region.
Don’t miss the ICC Institute of World Business Law Advanced Training on 28 May.
Who should attend?
- Practising lawyers
- Arbitrators, mediators
- Corporate counsel
- Academic
- Professionals interested in and/or involved in international arbitration in Africa
Stay up-to-date with the latest news on the #ICCAfrica Conference by following ICC Arbitration on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
ICC Institute of World Business Law Advanced Training on Amicable Settlement of Disputes in International Arbitration: Party Expectations and Arbitrator Techniques
Developed by:
Klaus Peter Berger and Patricia Peterson
Co-chaired by:
Patricia Peterson and Adeyemi Agbelusi
Master of Ceremony: Odhiambo Obonyo, Senior Associate, Anjarwalla & Khanna LLP, Kenya
All times shown are in EAT
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08.00-09.00 |
Welcome coffee and registration |
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09.00 – 09.15 |
Welcoming address, introduction and presentation of the training
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09.15 – 10.10 |
Evolution in attitudes towards settlement facilitation in international arbitration While arbitrators in some jurisdictions are accustomed to being proactive in facilitating settlements, the traditional viewpoint in most jurisdictions has been that the role of the arbitral tribunal is to decide the case in an enforceable award. In the context of the long-standing debate on techniques to save time and costs in arbitration, this traditional view has changed in recent years. The Report on Facilitating Settlement in International Arbitration, published by the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR in 2023, is a milestone in this development. The potential impact of this report, as well as other recent studies, will be examined by this panel. Panellists will also consider relevant provisions in arbitration laws and rules that may have an impact on arbitral practice in this area, and the search for transnational standards.
Moderator
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10.10-10.30 |
Q&A |
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10.30-10.45 |
Coffee break |
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10.45 – 11.30 |
Case Management Techniques with a Potential Indirect Effect on Settlement This panel addresses the utility of accepted case management techniques and arbitration procedures that may have an indirect effect on the willingness of parties to settle their dispute or parts of it. Examples of such techniques are a proactive first case management conference, bifurcation, mid-arbitration reviews, dispositive motions, or sealed offers. The focus of the panel debate will be on the arbitrator staying within his or her role of resolving a dispute by rendering a binding decision and not adopting the role of a settlement facilitator or mediator.
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11.30 – 12.30 |
Q&A and case scenarios |
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12.30 – 14.00 |
Lunch |
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14.00 – 14.45 |
Arbitrator Techniques for the Direct Facilitation of Settlement Whether and, if so, to what extent arbitrators are entitled to facilitate settlement is still a controversial issue and one in relation to which regional differences still exists today. This panel will discuss the full array of available techniques, from raising the settlement option at the first case management conference, the use of mediation windows to the presentation of preliminary views and the conduct of settlement conferences by the arbitral tribunal and other techniques. The impact of failed settlement negotiations on arbitral proceedings will also be discussed.
Moderator
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14.45 – 15.45 |
Simulation of a settlement conference and Q&A
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15.45 – 16.05 |
Coffee break |
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16.05 – 16.50 |
Drafting consent awards: The practice of the ICC Court Pursuant to Art. 33 of the ICC Arbitration Rules, a settlement agreement concluded by the parties during the arbitration shall be recorded in an award by consent, if so requested by the parties and if the tribunal agrees to do so. This Panel will discuss the tribunal’s powers with respect to such awards, practical aspects related to the drafting of consent awards from the perspective of the arbitrator and the ICC Court, as well as public policy and enforcement issues.
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16.50 – 17.50 |
Q&A and case scenarios |
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17.50 – 18.00 |
Closing remarks
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International Arbitration in Africa: Africa's Role in shaping the next era of Alternative Dispute Resolution
All times shown are in EAT
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Wednesday 28 May 2025 |
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18.00 – 20.00 |
Welcome cocktail |
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Thursday 29 May 2025 – Day 1 |
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08.00 – 09.00 |
Registration and welcome coffee |
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09.00 – 10:15 |
Opening ceremony Master of Ceremonies
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10.25 – 10.55 |
Coffee break and networking |
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10.55 – 11.45 |
Fireside Chat with ICC Court President and Kenyan business leaders: economic trends and hot topics in the region
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11.45 – 12.35 |
ESG in Arbitration: Procedural consideration and arbitrating ESG related claims on the continent
Moderator
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12.35 – 14.00 |
Lunch |
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14.30 – 15.20 |
Parallel sessions: 1.Security for Costs: Unique circumstances that a party can be granted security for costs.
Moderator
2. Crafting efficient conflict management policies for African companies
Moderator
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15.20 – 16:00 |
Coffee break and networking |
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16.00 – 16:50 |
Positive steps towards increased integrity of international arbitration on the continent
Moderator
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16.50– 17.40 |
Third-party funding in international arbitration: Scope of use in African disputes
Moderator
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17.40 – 17.50 |
Closing remarks
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19.00 – 21.00 |
Gala dinner (Emara Ole Sereni) |
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Friday 30 May 2025 – Day 2 |
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08.00 – 08.30 |
Registration and welcome coffee |
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09.00 – 09.30 |
Keynote remarks
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09.30 – 10.20 |
AI in African arbitration: Friend, foe or future?
Moderator
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10.20 – 11.10 |
Demystifying the damages assessment in international arbitration
Moderator
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11.10 – 11.40 |
Coffee break and networking |
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11.40 – 12:30 |
ICC Mock Court session: Complex arbitration scenarios President - ICC International Court of Arbitration
Court Members
Secretariat - ICC International Court of Arbitration
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12.30-13.00 |
Dispute Resolution Today and Tomorrow in Africa and Beyond: The Latest ICC Highlights and Plans
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13.00 – 13.10 |
Vote of thanks
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13.10 – 14.30 |
Lunch |
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14:30 - 17:00 |
ICC DRS Africa Business Talk feat. M&CO Legal Free of charge, however, separate registration is required. Information and Registration here |
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15:00 – 18:15 |
ICC YAAF Emerging Disputes in Africa: A focus on Arbitration in the Extractives and Sports Sectors Free of charge, however, separate registration is required. Information and Registration here |
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21:00-02:00 |
ICC YAAF Africa Chapter Dance Party Free of charge. Prior registration is required. To register, please click here |
ICC YAAF: Emerging Disputes in Africa: A focus on Arbitration in the Extractives and Sports Sectors
Free of charge, however, separate registration is required.
Information and Registration here.
All times shown are in EAT
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15:00-15:30 |
Welcome of Participants and Registration |
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15:30-15:40 |
Welcome Address and Introduction to ICC YAAF
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15:40-15:50 |
Opening Remarks
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15:45-16:35 |
Panel I - Dispute Resolution in Africa’s Extractive Sector: Navigating Environmental Risk and Resource Security Amid Rising Global Demand This panel will explore how commercial disputes in Africa’s extractive sector are being shaped by a complex interplay of contractual risks, environmental obligations, and geopolitical pressures. It will examine how stakeholders are navigating stabilisation clauses, force majeure, and change-in-law provisions amid tightening environmental and climate-related regulations. It will further consider how community rights, including the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and the notion of a social license to operate, are increasingly influencing dispute dynamics. Lastly, it will assess how climate change, the global push for energy transition, and just transition frameworks are generating new legal risks and responsibilities that are transforming dispute resolution across Africa’s resource-rich landscapes.
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16:35-16:50 |
Q&A Session |
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16:50-17:00 |
Coffee Break |
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17:00-17:45 |
Panel II - Arbitrating Africa’s Sports Disputes: Challenges, Opportunities and the Road Ahead This panel will delve into the unique challenges and opportunities associated with resolving sports disputes in Africa through arbitration. It will cover the current landscape of sports arbitration, highlight key issues such as contract disputes, doping cases, and governance conflicts, and discuss the potential for growth and improvement in this field. The panel will also explore the future of sports arbitration in Africa, considering how it can be strengthened to better serve athletes, organizations, and stakeholders.
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17:45-18:00 |
Q&A Session |
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18:00-18:15 |
Closing Remarks and Vote of Thanks
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ICC DRS Africa Business Talks feat. M&CO Legal
Free of charge, however, separate registration is required.
Information and Registration here
All times shown are in EAT
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14:30–15:00 |
Welcome of the Participants & Registration |
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15:00–15:10 |
Welcome address |
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15:10–15:20 |
Opening remarks
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15:20-16:30 |
Presentation of the ICC Center of Entrepreneurship
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15:30–16:30 |
Roundtable discussion: Asia and East Africa Gateways Moderator
Growth of the eastern economies from Asia to East Africa
Importance of ports - Singapore, Dubai, Mombasa - in creating a new logistics supply chain
Necessary standardisation of customs clearance mechanisms
Strategic role of Special Economic Zones in the Region for boosting trade flows
Regional trade financing in support of these new markets |
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16:30–16:50 |
Q&A Session |
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16:50–17:00 |
Closing Remarks
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ICC YAAF Africa Chapter Dance Party
Join us for the ICC YAAF Africa Chapter Dance Party!
No set programme — just bring your joy, good vibes, and get ready to move.
Come as you are and let's have fun!
Free of charge, however, separate registration is required. Information and Registration here.
Confirmed speakers
Training
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Co-chairs |
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Adeyemi Agbelusi |
FCIArb, Principal Partner, Berean Associates, Nigeria |
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Patricia Peterson |
Independent Arbitrator, Peterson//ADR, France; Member, ICC Institute of World Business Law |
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Speakers |
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Aisha Abdallah |
Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution, Anjarwalla & Khanna LLP, Kenya |
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Sana Belaid |
Arbitrator & Mediator, Belaid Advisory, United Arab Emirates |
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Ulrike Gantenberg |
Partner, Gantenberg Dispute Experts, Germany |
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Odhiambo Obonyo |
Senior Associate, Anjarwalla & Khanna LLP, Kenya |
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John Ohaga |
Senior Partner, TripleOKLaw LLP, Kenya |
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Colleen Parker Bacquet |
Counsel, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris |
Conference
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Richard Ayodele Akintunde, SAN |
Senior Partner, Ayodele Akintunde & Co., Nigeria |
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Selma Baccari |
Kroll Advisory, Senior Director, Expert Services, France |
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Kairu Bachia |
Arbitrator & Mediator; Team Leader & Quality Control Director, Masterbill Intergrated Projects, Kenya |
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Jonathan Barnett |
Lawyer, Fieldfisher, Austria |
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Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo, |
Attorney, HBE Avocats, France/Cameroon; Member, , ICC International Court of Arbitration |
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Sana Belaid |
Arbitrator & Mediator, Belaid Advisory, United Arab Emirates |
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Isaiah Bozimo, SAN |
Partner, Broderick Bozimo & Company, Nigeria; Vice-President, ICC International Court of Arbitration |
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Leilah Bruton |
Partner, Three Crowns LLP, United Kingdom |
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David Beer |
Chief Executive Officer, TradeMark Africa, Kenya |
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Nikhil Desai |
Chair, ICC Kenya Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission, Kenya |
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Diamana Diawara |
Director, ICC Arbitration and ADR, Africa, ICC Dispute Resolution Services, Paris |
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Elodie Dulac |
Partner, King & Spalding, Singapore |
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Ziva Filipic |
Managing Counsel, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris |
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Michael A. Greenop |
Counsel, WilmerHale, United Kingdom |
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Emmanuel Jacomy |
Partner, A&O Shearman, Singapore |
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Chloé de Jager |
Senior Associate, Pinsent Masons, United Kingdom ; Alternate Member, ICC International Court of Arbitration |
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Ndanga Kamau |
Arbitrator, Ndanga Kamau Law, Netherlands; Council Member, ICC Institute of World Business Law; Former Vice-President, ICC International Court of Arbitration |
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Njeri Kariuki |
Advocate & Chartered Arbitrator, NK Lex, Kenya |
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Lydia Karanja |
Director, Transaction Banking, Absa Bank, Kenya |
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Sen. Sylvia Kasanga |
Senator, Parliament of Kenya; Founder & Managing Director, Sycum Solutions Co. Ltd, Kenya; Member, ICC International Court of Arbitration |
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Valerie Kawangu Chiyombwe |
Legal Counsel & Arbitrator, Zambia |
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Rosemary Koech-Kimwatu |
Head of Data Protection. KCB Bank Group, Kenya |
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Noella C. Lubano |
Partner, Oraro & Company Advocates, Kenya |
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Kolawole Mayomi |
Partner, SPA Ajibade & Co, Nigeria |
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Samuel Mbiriri Nderitu |
Director, ICC Kenya, Kenya |
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Kenneth Miriti |
Principal Consultant, KELE Consulting, Kenya; Chair, ICC Banking Commission |
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Charlie Morgan |
Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, United Kingdom |
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Wambui Mutugi |
Legal Manager, TradeGrid, Kenya |
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Kenneth Wyne Mutuma |
Managing Partner, Wyne & Associates, Kenya |
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Benjamin Ng'eno |
Associate, Lalive, United Kingdom |
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Julius Nkafu |
Founding Partner, Nkafu Arbitration Services, Cameroon |
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Mapanza M Nkwilimba |
Partner, DLA Piper, Qatar |
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Patrick Obath |
Vice Chair, ICC Kenya, Kenya |
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Desmond Odhiambo |
Partner, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc., Kenya |
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Abayomi Okubote |
Partner, Dispute Resolution, Pensbury Attorneys & Solicitors, Nigeria |
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Wale Olawoyin, SAN |
Managing Partner, Olawoyin & Olawoyin, Nigeria |
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Julius Opio |
Chairman, ICC Kenya, Kenya |
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Michelle Porter-Wright |
Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution Practice, Baker & McKenzie, South Africa |
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Claudia Salomon |
President, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris |
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Kwadwo Sarkodie |
Partner, Mayer Brown International LLP, United Kingdom |
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Parag Shah |
Partner & Head of Advisory, Grant Thorton, Kenya |
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Antony Sure |
Founder, Lawlyfy AI, Kenya |
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Daniel Wilmot |
Partner, Stewarts Law, United Kingdom |
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Hon. Justice Aleem Visram |
Judge, High Court of Kenya, Kenya |
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Alexandre Vagenheim |
VP Global Legal Data, Jus Mundi, France |
| Dates & Venues |
Date of the training: 28 May 2025 Date of the conference: 29-30 May 2025 Venues: Conference: Emara Ole Sereni Hotel, Off Mombasa Road, Next to Nairobi National Park, Nairobi, Kenya. Training: Anjarwalla & Khanna (ALN Kenya), ALN House, Eldama Ravine Close, Off Eldama Ravine Road, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya |
| Registration fees |
Registration fees for non-ICC members: Training
Conference
Registration fees for ICC members: 20% discount on the above rates. Please contact your local NC to obtain your discount code. Special discounts FULL TIME in-House Counsel may benefit from a 50% discount. FULL TIME Government representatives and Academics may benefit from a 20% discount (LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE). Group rates: Register 5 persons from the same company and pay for 4. Please contact info@icckenya.co.ke or ICCGlobalEvents@iccwbo.org for more details. |
| Cancellation policy |
50% of the registration fee will be refunded if notice of cancellation is received in writing before Friday 25 April 2025. Cancellations after this date are non-refundable, except in exceptional circumstances, such as visa refusals and illness. In these cases, a minimum cancellation fee of 20% of the registration fee will be charged. Subject to agreement from ICC Kenya prior to the event, the registration may be transferred to another person from the same company or organisation at no extra charge. Updated registration information will be required. Please note that ICC reserves the right to cancel this event or to make minor alterations to the content and timing of the programme or to the identity of the speakers. In the unlikely event of cancellation, delegates will be offered a full refund. ICC will not, however, be held responsible for any related expense incurred by the participant. |
| Travel and accommodation |
Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements and hotel reservations. However, ICC Kenya has negotiated preferential rates with the hotels Emara Ole Sereni Hotel, Ole Sereni Hotel and Eka Hotel. A reservation link/discount code to book directly with the hotel will be sent to participants upon registration. EMARA Ole Sereni Hotel (5 Star Hotel)
254 Ole Sereni Hotel (4 Star Hotel)
EKA Hotel:
Flights ICC Kenya has successfully negotiated preferential rates, offering up to a 13% discount on net fares only (excluding taxes and surcharges) with Kenya Airways. The discount code will be provided in your confirmation email following registration. eTA Foreign participants must apply for an eTA for travel to Kenya: www.etakenya.go.ke ICC Kenya will dispatch eTA invitation letters to support your application only after receipt of your registration and full payment of your registration fees. |
| Working languages |
Conference: English and French Training: English |
| Credits, hours and points |
This event is eligible for credits before The Law Society of Kenya. Please note that this is subject to validation of ICC Kenya’s application. For any questions regarding LSK credits, please contact: Ms Shyne Richu at srichu@icckenya.co.ke Additionally, this event is eligible for credits with the Paris Bar, subject to validation of ICC Global Events’ application or individual applications as necessary. Furthermore, ICC Global Events is an approved MCLE provider by the State Bar of California. For any questions, please contact ICCGlobalEvents@iccwbo.org. |
| Disclaimer | The photos and audiovisual recordings taken at this meeting/event may be used and published by ICC and ICC Kenya, their subsidiaries or affiliates, for informational or promotional purposes in printed materials or online, including on ICC and ICC Kenya websites and in social media. Participation in the meeting/event implies agreement to such use of photos or audiovisual recordings in which the participant may appear unless ICC or ICC Kenya receive written notification to the contrary. |
An opportunity for every marketing goal.
ICC offers your company many ways to sponsor this conference. Tailor-made packages are available to suit your firm's needs. For more information contact sponsorship@iccwbo.org.
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Benefits |
Strategic Partner €20,000 |
Networking Partner €12,000 |
Branding Partner €7,000 |
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Sponsorship of the cocktail reception OR dinner (as available) |
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Showcase your brand prominently on the ICC DRS App |
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Opportunity to host a social side event** (included in the official programme) |
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Guest contributor on the ICC blog* |
1 Article |
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Strategic logo placement in banners and collaterals |
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Testimonial quote on the event page* |
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Private meeting room reserved for 1 hour |
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Sponsor a lunch (will be co-sponsored as available) |
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Participants list available in priority |
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Pop-up notification on ICC DRS App |
2 notifications |
1 notification |
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Company video to be played during session breaks |
1 min |
30 sec |
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Opportunity to provide Delegate Bags OR Lanyards OR Notebooks & Pens OR Water Bottles (as available)** |
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Sponsor a coffee break (will be co-sponsored as available) |
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Exhibition space and exhibitor pass |
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Complimentary invitations to the cocktail or dinner reception |
2 |
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Complimentary registrations to the conference |
8 |
4 |
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Special reduced registrations (30% reduction) |
8 |
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Profile included on the ICC DRS app |
✓ |
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Opportunity to include a branded item in the participant bags** |
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Sponsor recognition on email and ICC arbitration social media |
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Use of the official event sponsor logo |
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Maximum visibility with signage at the venue and on all digital materials |
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Please contact ICCGlobalEvents@iccwbo.org if you have any questions or would like further information.
Co-organisers
We thank our sponsors
We thank our supporters