5th ICC Africa Conference on International Arbitration

08.30 – 09.00

Networking: Lets meet at the networking tables

09.00 – 09.45

Opening Session – Welcome and Keynote Address

• Funmi Roberts, C.Arb,  Chairman, Planning Committee
• Alexis Mourre, President of the Court
• Babatunde Savage, Chair, ICC Nigeria, Lagos
• Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Nigeria
• John W.H. Denton, Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce, Paris

Session coordinator

• Sola Ephrain-Oluwanuga, C.Arb

09.50 – 11.05

1^st Plenary Session

From Walls to Bridges: A Practical Approach to Expanding the Scope of Arbitration in Africa
Although there has been robust increase in Africa-related arbitration, this has not translated to an increase in the use of Africa as a seat of Arbitration. The session seeks to do the following:

1. Explore the practical considerations which investors, state parties, arbitrators and other users consider while negotiating the underlying contracts that provide for Arbitration

2. Discuss the use of Arbitration as a developmental tool in Africa, proffering solutions for infrastructural reform and improved efficiency of the arbitral process in Africa

3. Consider whether the consolidation of Arbitral Institutions on the Continent might strengthen the position of arbitration in Africa and promote its expansion 

4. Review issues such as changes in governmental attitude towards: appointing African Nationals in resolving their disputes, making Africa their choice of Arbitral Seat, and promoting ease of cross-border business

5. Propose means of continuous training and development of the judiciary and other interested users of Arbitration

• Kamal Shah, Partner, Head of the Africa & India Groups, Stephenson Harwood LLP, India
• Mouhamed Kebe, Managing Partner, Geni & Kebe, Senegal
• Thomas Snider, Partner, Head of Arbitration, Al Tamimi & Co., United Arab Emirates
• Suzanne Rattray, FCIArb, Director, Rankin Engineering Consultants, Zambia

Moderator:

• Godwin Omoaka, SAN, Partner, Templars, Nigeria

Session coordinator

• Folashade Alli, C.Arb

11.10 – 12.10

Breakout Sessions I & II

I. Africa as the new el dorado of arbitration – creating an avant-garde legal landscape

This session examines the legal frameworks of key African jurisdictions from the perspective of how they impact, for good or bad, initiatives to expand the scope of arbitration in Africa. The legal framework of a particular jurisdiction includes its Constitution, its statutes, its judicial organisation (including the philosophy, policies, procedures and practices of its courts) and its international law (customary international law, bilateral and multilateral treaties).

• Moses Adriko SC, Managing Partner, MMAKS Advocates, Uganda
• Githu Muigai SC, Senior Partner, Mohammed Muigai Advocates, Kenya
• Dany Khayat, Partner, Mayer Brown, France
• Daniel Wilmot, Partner, STEWARTS, United Kingdom
• Laurie Achtouk-Spivak, Counsel, Cleary Gottlieb

Moderator:

• Sami Houerbi, Director for the Mediterranean and the Middle East, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Abu Dhabi/Tunis

Session coordinator

• Tunde Fagbohunlu

This session will examine judicial participation in Arbitration. Mindful of the important role that a pro-arbitration friendly court system takes in promoting arbitration, this Panel discussion will feature a cross-pollination of ideas on how, within individual jurisdictional constraints, the domestic and treaty based regional courts in Africa can innovate to enhance the integrity of the arbitral process and resultant awards.

• Paulman Chungu, Co-Managing Partner, Ranchhod, Chungu Advocates (“RCA”), Incoming Chair CiArb, Zambia
• A. Adefope-Okojie, Hon. Justice, JCA, Nigeria
• Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, Former Attorney-General & Minister for Justice, Republic of Ghana
• Jimmy Kodo, Technical Adviser to the President, OHADA, Ivory Coast

Moderator:

• Abimbola Akeredolu, SAN -  Partner, Banwo & Ighodalo, Nigeria

Session coordinator

• Seyilayo Ojo, C.Arb 

12.10 – 12.40

Comfort break

12.45 – 13.45

Breakout Sessions III & IV

III. Emerging Areas in Arbitration: Moving with the Trend

Discussion on the Session topic will focus on emerging areas in arbitration such as:

- Arbitration of climate change related disputes;

- Mining and energy disputes;

- Online dispute resolution mechanism; and

- Issues surrounding expanding the scope of arbitration in Africa into these new and emerging areas.  

• Thierry Tomasi, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills, France
• Ijeoma Ononogbu, Member, ODR, Task Force – International Mediation Centre, United Kingdom
• Ucheora Onwuamaegbu, Consulting Attorney, International Trade Practice, Arent Fox, Washington, DC, United States

Moderator:

• Sally El Sawah, Deputy Secretary General, African Arbitration Assotiation, Egypt

Session coordinator

• Akin Ajibola & Od

IV. The role of arbitration in the development of new areas of Intellectual Property

• Pauline Mcharo, Counsel, Public Sector, Kenya
• Stavros Brekoulakis, Professor in International Arbitration, Queen Mary University, United Kingdom
• Priscilia Ogwemoh, Managing Partner, Kevin, Martin & Ogwemoh, Nigeria

Moderator:

• Bankole Sodipo, Senior Partner, G.O. Sodipo & Co., Nigeria

Session coordinator

• Obosa Akpata, C.Arb

13.50 – 14.00

Closing remarks

• Adeyemi Agbelusi, FCIArb, Chairman, Logistics & Publicity, 5th ICC Africa Conference on International Arbitration
• Folashade Alli, C.Arb, Legal Practitioner, Chatered Arbitrator and Mediator, Folashade Alli & Associates, Nigeria

14.00 – 14.30

Networking: Lets meet at the networking tables

08.30 – 09.00

Networking: Lets meet at the networking tables

09.00 – 09.15

Opening remarks

• Diamana Diawara, Africa Director, Arbitration and ADR, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris
• Claudia T. Salomon, Elected President, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris

09.00 – 10.05

2^nd Plenary Session

Sustaining the Value of International Arbitration through the Tool of Ethics: A Word from the Stakeholders
International arbitration has attracted an array of participants—counsel, arbitrators, experts, and funders—from diverse cultural and legal backgrounds. This has, consequently, given rise to the subject of ethics, in its various contexts, which has become a practical problem of high importance in the administration of international arbitration.

The session seeks to address issues arising from ethics in international arbitration, including:

1. the development and importance of ethics, in its various facets, in international arbitration,

2. the complexities of various ethical issues that arise in international arbitration from the perspectives of counsel, arbitrators, experts and funders,

3. the ethical duties of counsel and arbitrators in international arbitration, and

4. the applicability of existing national ethical guidelines and the need or otherwise of establishing enforceable ethical norms, particularly in circumstances where counsel and arbitrator(s) from different jurisdictions are involved in the same dispute.

• Patrick Taylor, Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, United Kingdom
• Antonia Birt, Partner, Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle LLP, United Arab Emirates Gbolahan Elias, SAN, Partner, G. Elias & Co, Nigeria
• Prof. Gbolahan Elias, SAN Partner, G. Elias & Co, Nigeria
• José Feris, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs, France; Former Deputy Secretary General, ICC International Court of Arbitration

Moderator:

• Doyin Rhodes-Vivour, SAN, Managing Partner, Doyin Rhodes-Vivour & Co., Nigeria

Session coordinator

• Stanley U.Nweke-Eze

 10.05 – 11.05

Breakout Sessions V & VI

V. COVID-19: Accelerating the use of technology in arbitration in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities?

• Anish Wadia FCIArb, Independent Arbitrator &Mediator, Board Member – Chinese European Arbitration Association (CEAA), Germany
• Nania Owusu-Ankomah FCIArb, Partner - Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah, Ghana
• Obioma Ofoego, Associate, Quinn Emanuel, Nigeria
• Ashwita Ambast, Legal Counsel, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Netherlands

Moderator:

• Ademola Bamgbose, International Arbitration Lawyer, Hogan Lovells International LLP, United Kingdom; Director, Africa Arbitration Academy

Session coordinator

• Adeyemi Agbelusi, FCIArb

VI. AfCFTA investment protocol: a tool for a common African position on international investment law?

• Beatrice Chaytor, Senior Expert, Trade in Services (technical), African Union, Ethiopia
• Petina Gappah, Counsel, Advisory on WTO Law, Switzerland
• Leyou Tameru, I-Arb, Legal Consultant and the Founder of I-Arb Africa, Ethiopia

Moderator:

• Funke Adekoya, SAN, Founding Partner, AELEX, Nigeria

Session coordinator

• Foluke Akinmoladun, C.Arb

11.05 – 11.35

Comfort Break

11.35 – 12.35

Breakout Sessions VII & VIII

VII. Third Party Funding- Pros and Cons

Third-party funding (3PF) is an established form of litigation costs risk management.

There has been a slow and steady rise in litigation funding in the region due to the region’s development of local infrastructure that support both litigation and arbitration. 

Given that Africa is projected to be one of the fastest growing economies in the next decade, ushering a myriad of investments on the continent, it is 5xpected that there would be an increase in in Investment Treaty Arbitration which typically focuses on commercial losses occasioned by expropriatory actions of a host State.

This session will discuss the pros and cons of the 3PF in the African region in assisting with arbitration claims.

• Ned Beale, Partner, Hausfeld, United Kingdom
• Zuko Nonxuba, Chief Executive Officer, Nonxuba Inc, South Africa
• Ryham Ragab, Independent Arbitrator; Group General Counsel, Samcrete Engineering Investments Egypt
• Tunde Ogunseitan, Professor, United Kingdom; former Counsel, ICC International Court of Arbitration

Moderator:

• Konyin Ajayi, Managing Partner, Olaniwu and Ajayi, Nigeria

Session coordinator

• Kolawola Mayomi, FCIArb

• Offornze Amucheazi, SAN, FCIArb, Principal Partner, Amucheazi, Ozioko & Co; Professor of Arbitration and Employment Law, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria
• Anne Abeja, Company Secretary/ Head of Legal and Compliance, Housing Finance Bank, Uganda
• Folabi Kuti, Partner, Perchstone & Graeys, Nigeria
• Muyiwa Olulaja, Head, Talent Management, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, Nigeria

Moderator

• Sola Adegbonmire, Managing Partner, Sola Ajijola & Co., Nigeria

Session coordinator

• Oyinkan Badejo-Okusanya

12.40 – 13.40

Debate-style session

“Have regional initiatives expanded the scope of Arbitration practice in Africa?”

The debate will seek to highlight the positive impact of regional initiatives on the growth of arbitration in Africa, while identifying the flaws in the existing initiatives, and, importantly, proposing solutions to identified problems.

• Timi Balogun, Curtis Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, United Kingdom
• Luisa Cetina, Anjarwalla & Khanna, Kenya
• Priyesh Daya, Webber Wentzel, South Africa
• Talkmore Chidede, Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa, South Africa

Moderator:

• Samantha Nataf, De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés, France

Session coordinator

• Hamid Abdulkareem & Fidelis Adewole, F.CIarb

13.45 – 14.00

Vote of thanks

• Olubunmi Osuntuyi, Secretary General, ICC Nigeria, Nigeria

Closing remarks

• Funmi Roberts C.Arb, Chairman, 5^th ICC Africa Conference on Internaional Arbitration, Nigeria

Conference wrap up

• Diamana Diawara, Director for Africa, Arbitration and ADR? ICC Internatioanl Court of Arbitration, Paris

14.00 – 14.30

Networking: Lets meet at the networking tables