CRCICA organized jointly with SOAS University of London the international conference on “The Role of African States and Governments in Supporting the Development of Arbitration in Africa” during 3-5 April 2017, held in CRCICA auditorium, Cairo-Egypt. The event was considered the third in the series of four identified themes in SOAS research project entitled ‘Creating a Sustainable Culture of Arbitration as a Mechanism for Commercial Dispute Resolution in Africa’.
Papers and discussions focused on the means for African states to contribute to the promotion and growth of arbitration across the continent. The two days agenda included five panels which discussed institutional arbitration in Africa, the attitude of African governments towards arbitration and the legal environment for investments arbitration. Views from outside Africa and responses from government ministers were introduced as well. The agenda also included a roundtable examining arbitration related to UNCITRAL texts and their adoption by African states. The diversity of speakers’ backgrounds was reflected in cross cultural diversity of topics and discussions. The conference included speakers from UK, Mauritius, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Kenya, Sudan, India, France, Uganda, USA, Malaysia, and Italy.
The Conference was attended by 123 participants from 26 countries, namely, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, The Netherlands, Tunisia, Uganda, UK, and USA.
