Cairo, Egypt – April 9, 2025
As part of Paris Arbitration Week (PAW), Dr. Ismail Selim, Director of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA), President of IFCAI, and Vice President of the African Arbitration Association, contributed his expertise to a compelling and timely panel discussion titled “Commercial and Investment Arbitrations Involving Africa in the Context of Global Geopolitical and Economic Developments: A Sectoral Overview.”
Jointly organized by the Africa Arbitration Association (AfAA) and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre (LACIAC), the session convened leading arbitration practitioners to examine the evolving dynamics of disputes involving African states and commercial entities against the backdrop of accelerating global change. Moderated by Dr. Sally El-Sawah (AfAA Board Director & Partner at Sawah | Junction) and Ngo-Martins Okonmah (LACIAC and Partner at Aluko & Oyebode ALN), the session addressed key geopolitical and economic pressures shaping Africa’s arbitration climate.
Dr. Selim joined a distinguished panel of speakers including Aisha Abdallah (Partner, Anjarwalla Khanna – East Africa), Dr. Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo (Partner, HBE Law Firm – West Africa Francophone), Sami Houerbi (Partner, Houerbi Law and Director at Ifriqyah – North Africa), Colleen Parker (Counsel, ICC Secretariat), and Svetlana Vasileva (Secretary General, AFSA – South Africa).
The discussion offered a wide-ranging exploration of the sectors most impacted by escalating East-West geopolitical tensions, climate change and energy transition, technology and AI-driven transformations, and the reconfiguration of global trade. Speakers exchanged insights on how these dynamics are shaping dispute trends across the continent, with contributions from arbitral institutions, legal practitioners, in-house counsel, and policy voices.
Discussions centered on emerging dispute patterns attributable to these global shifts and offered valuable perspectives from key stakeholders, including arbitral institutions like CRCICA, in-house counsel, dispute practitioners, and arbitrators. Dr. Selim’s participation underscores CRCICA’s commitment to staying at the forefront of developments in international arbitration and contributing to the discourse surrounding dispute resolution in Africa’s dynamic commercial and investment landscape.
The event, held as part of PAW Paris Arbitration Week, provided a crucial platform for knowledge sharing and networking amongst professionals navigating the complexities of commercial and investment arbitrations involving Africa in this era of significant global change
