African ADR Practitioners Challenged to Build World-Class Competencies and Reduce Reliance on Foreign Expertise
A leading Nigerian legal practitioner has challenged Alternative Dispute Resolution professionals across Africa to invest seriously in their technical, intellectual and ethical capacities, arguing that the continent must position itself as a global hub for dispute resolution rather than continuing to export commercial disputes to foreign institutions.
Ms Foluke Akinmoladun, Managing Solicitor at Trizon Law Chambers in Nigeria, made the call during a virtual conference on Wednesday organised by the Africa Centre for Collaborative Dispute Resolution and the Association of Conflict, Peace and Security Experts in Africa. The event, themed “Positioning Africa as a Hub for Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice: Building Capacity, Recognition, Credibility and Economic Impact,” drew practitioners, legal professionals, academics, policymakers and business leaders from across the continent.
“The future of ADR in Africa should be centred on exporting excellence rather than importing expertise,” Ms Akinmoladun told the gathering. She argued that Africa currently plays a marginal role in global arbitration, with the overwhelming majority of commercial disputes involving African parties still being adjudicated in London, Paris, Singapore and other established centres. Reversing that trend, she said, requires African practitioners to combine legal excellence with commercial understanding and sector-specific knowledge.
“The future practitioner must be multidisciplinary. A construction arbitration, for instance, requires an understanding of the construction industry,” she explained. “The successful ADR practitioner of the future must combine legal excellence with commercial understanding.”
The call carries particular significance for Ghana, which has sought to establish itself as a preferred seat for international arbitration in West Africa but faces stiff competition from centres in Lagos, Nairobi and Kigali. Building a credible ecosystem of trained practitioners, well-resourced institutions and robust regulatory frameworks is essential if African cities are to attract the commercial dispute resolution business that currently flows overseas.
Mr Isaac Asare, Founder and President of AfCCoDR and ACPSEA, linked the development of ADR capacity directly to broader continental ambitions. “Sustainable development cannot thrive where peace is absent,” he said. “Nations cannot fully develop, businesses cannot flourish, investments cannot be sustained, and communities cannot prosper in environments characterised by conflict and instability.”
Mr Asare argued that the future of the continent depends not only on how disputes are resolved but on how relationships are preserved, trust is built and collaboration is fostered—qualities he said should define African ADR practice.
Ms Mina Mensah, Secretary-General of ACPSEA, outlined the conference’s objectives as highlighting both the successes and challenges of ADR practice in Africa, identifying strategies to build practitioners’ capacity, and examining the role of ADR in promoting trade and investment across the continent.
The conference’s calls to action focused on several pillars: developing digital literacy, advocacy skills and cultural intelligence among practitioners; encouraging multidisciplinary training that equips ADR professionals with industry-specific knowledge in sectors such as construction, oil and gas, and financial services; strengthening public education and regulatory frameworks; and positioning African institutions as the preferred choice for dispute resolution to retain commercial business within the continent.
For a continent whose economies are growing faster than their legal infrastructure, the gap between the volume of commercial activity and the capacity to resolve disputes locally represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Wednesday’s conference made clear that Africa’s ADR community intends to close that gap—but only if practitioners are willing to raise their game to global standards.
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