ICCA Kigali 2025
Africa & International Arbitration: Untold Stories
ICCA and the Kigali International Arbitration Centre (KIAC) will co-host a one-day conference in Kigali on 5 June 2025. The conference will focus on the theme “Africa & International Arbitration: Untold Stories”. A Young ICCA Skills Training Workshop will be held the following day, click here for more details on the Young ICCA event.
Registration is now open for the ICCA-KIAC Conference. For more information about the Conference, click here.
Register Now for the ICCA-KIAC Conference
Africa & International Arbitration: Untold Stories | The Reading List
In this reading list, we highlight five ICCA publications that cover untold stories of arbitration in and outside Africa.
Full Conference Programme and Speaker Abstracts
Read the speakers' draft abstracts below. The password to open the files has been shared with Conference delegates. Contact bureau@arbitration-icca.org if you have not received the password.
09:00 - 09:30 - Opening Remarks
Speakers:
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Victor Mugabe, KIAC Secretary General
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Stanimir Alexandrov, ICCA President
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Lise Bosman, ICCA Executive Director
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Meg Kinnear, Programme Co-chair
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Thierry Ngoga, Programme Co-chair
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John Ohaga, Programme Co-chair
Chief Guest:
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Rt. Hon. Domitilla Mukantaganzwa, Chief Justice of Rwanda
09:30 - 10:00 - Opening Keynote by Hon. Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja
Speaker:
- Hon. Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Republic of Rwanda
10:00 - 11:30 - Panel 1: Legal Reform and Arbitration in Africa: Untold Stories
The panel discusses the lessons learned from the recent reform experiences on the African continent. What have been the historical obstacles to development of arbitration in Africa? How are countries addressing some of these obstacles through legal reforms? What are the untold stories around legal reform processes? How effective has law reform been? Are arbitration specialists and users benefitting? Are African practitioners ready? What other issues have been or need to be addressed?
Moderator:
- Mohamed Abdel Wahab
Speakers:
Each link above links to the speaker's abstract.
12:00 - 12:45 - Interview with Andrew Dabalen: Africa’s Economic Path: Untold Stories of Challenges & Prospects
An in-depth interview with the World Bank’s Chief Economist for Africa on global and African economic prospects, critically covering challenges and opportunities for commerce, trade and investment in the region.
Read the latest World Bank Africa's Pulse report here: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/africa-pulse.
Speaker:
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Andrew Dabalen, Chief Economist, Africa, World Bank
Interviewer:
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Dyalá Jiménez
14:00 - 15:15 - Panel 2: New Untold Stories in Dispute Resolution in Africa: The Next Chapter
African economies are evolving, giving rise to new sectors while strengthening traditional ones. Panelists will discuss key trends in dispute settlement, examining how legal frameworks and institutions are adapting to address issues arising from these emerging and expanding industries.
Moderator:
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Makane Moïse Mbengue
Speakers:
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Andrea Bianchi
Each link above links to the speaker's abstract.
15:45 - 17:00 - Panel 3: African Dispute Resolution in 2035 and Beyond: From Fiction to Reality
Practitioners take us from the Untold Stories of past and present to Future Stories about African arbitral practice, examining factors such as technology, culture, law and legal Instruments, people and, sectors and industries.
Moderator:
- Isaiah Bozimo
Speakers:
Each link above links to the speaker's abstract.
17:00 - 17:15 - Untold Histories: Launch of ICCA’s Historical Database of African Dispute Resolution
ICCA celebrates the launch of its “Historical Database of African Dispute Resolution” – an online, searchable database of inter-State, investor-State and commercial arbitrations and conciliations involving African parties and interests from the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods. Join us for a preview of this unique resource for scholars, practitioners and policy-makers, intended to stimulate research and discussion on the engagement of African actors and African issues in international law.
17:15 - 17:45 - Closing remarks by Olufunke Adekoya SAN
Speaker:
- Olufunke Adekoya SAN, International Arbitrator
Register Now for the ICCA-KIAC Conference
ICCA has taken note of the evolving security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) along the Rwandan border with the DRC. Delegates should consult the official travel advisory of their own country with regard to Rwandan travel plans.