Africa Newsletter - June 2018

Welcome to this month's newsletter from Addleshaw Goddard's Africa Business Group

Africa - Dispute Resolution

An effective means of resolving commercial disputes is critical to sustainable growth. We will be focussing on some of the pros and cons and effectiveness of the court system in various African jurisdictions in newsletters later in the year. We will also be looking at the advantages of arbitration and some of the funding options that has levelled the playing field when it comes to disputes between local players and large multinationals. In the meantime, this month's newsletter focuses on dispute news from across the continent.

East Africa International Arbitration Conference

Addleshaw Goddard is delighted to be a sponsor of this year's EAIAC 2018. The conference will take place on Thursday 30 and Friday 31 August 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This year's theme is 'Re-focusing regional trade, energy and arbitration'.

There is growing cross-border trade in commodities and energy and in regional energy infrastructure development, including cross-border electricity transmission systems and oil pipelines. What does this mean for African international, commercial and investment arbitration? Incredible potential!

Conference Highlights

• Investment in Eastern Africa electricity, oil & gas, mining, infrastructure, and trade.
• Mitigating risks in East Africa's energy & Infrastructure sectors.
• Specialist issues in energy and trade arbitration.
• Special panel on China - Africa Arbitration co-operation.
• Guidelines for Contracting and arbitrating with governments - East Africa.
• Enforcement in international investment and commercial Arbitration (ICSID, NYC).
• Artificial Intelligence and Arbitration - Calling on tech savvy East Africa to innovate for Arbitration.
• Industry hard-talk: Arbitration users perspective.
• A spotlight on the next generation of Africa Arbitrators.
• Arbitration institutions panel: Exploring synergy to promote Arbitration in Africa.
• Energy Poverty, a cause for Energy Disputes - East Africa's experience.
• Dispute Resolution in the Africa Free Contiental Trade Agreement (ACFTA).

Who attends?

• Legal Practitioners
• Arbitrators
• Magistrates
• International Investors
• Academics
• Corporate Counsel
• Government Representatives.

Article

Third party funding 

Introduction

Though the trend towards third party litigation and arbitration funding is not new, the scope and reach of such practice has markedly increased in recent years. Now a prevalent feature of litigation and arbitration across many jurisdictions globally, third party funding currently plays an important role for parties involved in proceedings. The prevalence of arbitration across Africa coupled with disproportionate costs for access to justice means that there is scope however for funding arrangements to play an important role on the continent. Read Canelle Goldstein's article on current trends here.

If you are interested in discussing funding for disputes please contact Nick Ashcroft.