Nigeria will host the landmark tenth edition of the International Chamber of Commerce Africa Conference on International Arbitration and ADR in Lagos next week, drawing the Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, attorneys-general, leading arbitration experts, and business leaders from more than 30 countries to what organisers describe as the most significant gathering of its kind on the continent.
The three-day conference at the Lagos Continental Hotel from June 3 to 5 will be attended by Claudia Salomon, President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Attorney-General of Lagos State, and several foreign attorneys-general. Multiple African countries reportedly competed to host this anniversary edition, with the ICC returning the conference to Nigeria on the basis of its strong track record in organizing previous editions.
Dorothy Ufeme Ufot, SAN, Chair of the ICC Nigeria Arbitration and ADR Commission, said Nigeria’s selection was a major endorsement of the country’s growing influence in international commercial dispute resolution. She said Nigerian arbitrators were increasingly receiving appointments from leading global institutions including the London Court of International Arbitration and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and that she herself had recently been appointed as presiding arbitrator in an international arbitration involving Russian parties.
She lamented that despite Africa’s vast natural resources, disputes arising from commercial activities on the continent were still largely resolved abroad, depriving African professionals and institutions of significant revenue and expertise. She said African legal practitioners had responded to this historical exclusion by investing heavily in training and international participation, and that the results were now showing.
Olubunmi Osuntuyi, Secretary-General of ICC Nigeria, said the conference would feature advanced training sessions led by experts from ICC headquarters. Jean Chiazor Anishere, Co-chair of the conference, said the increasing recognition of African arbitrators globally reflected the continent’s growing intellectual and professional capacity to handle complex commercial disputes. The conference will address emerging issues in dispute resolution including infrastructure disputes, energy transition conflicts, digital economy disagreements, artificial intelligence, investment protection, and geopolitical risks.
