2025 CPR Africa Arbitration Day-New York (AAD-NY)
About CPR Institute's 3rd Annual AAD-NY
The 2025 CPR Africa Arbitration Day - New York (AAD-NY) was held on November 1, 2025, hosted by DLA Piper.
For full program information including list of sponsors, view event page at https://www.cpradr.org/events/2025-aad-ny
The purpose of AAD-NY is to: (i) highlight important issues in international arbitration pertinent to the Africa region (ii) foster greater community among international arbitration practitioners in North America and Africa; and (iii) help develop the next generation of Africa-related arbitration practitioners.
AAD-NY 2025 included an arbitration moot for students, two substantive panels, and a cocktail reception with hors d'oeuvres.
**The recording is available below but please note that CLE credits are no longer available for this program.**
Panel 1: Emerging Trends and Opportunities for Growth Identified by the 2024 SOAS Arbitration in Africa Survey
The SOAS Arbitration in Africa Survey Reports have offered invaluable insight into the state of arbitration in Africa since the first Report was published in 2018. This panel will analyze the recent findings of the 2024 Survey which highlighted the growth of arbitration on the continent, key arbitration-friendly jurisdictions, gender representation amongst arbitrators,
and the role of tribunal secretaries.
Moderator
- Alice Adu Gyamfi
DLA Piper LLP (New York)
Speaking Panel
- Godwin Omoaka, SAN, FCIArb
Partner, Templars (Nigeria) - Professor Lise Bosman
Executive Director at International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) and University of Cape Town (Netherlands & South Africa) - Michael Ostrove
Partner & Global Co-Chair International Arbitration Group, DLA Piper LLP (New York) - Nancy Thevenin
AFSA International Panel of Arbitrators (New York)
Panel 2: The Future of Arbitration in Africa: Legal Reforms, Investment Disputes, and Regional Institutions
This panel will convene officials from African nations to discuss the evolving landscape of arbitration across the continent. The conversation will delve into recent treaty practices related to investor-state dispute settlement, recent reforms aimed at modernizing arbitration frameworks, and the development of regional institutions designed to enhance dispute resolution mechanisms. Key topics will include the status of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Protocols and the role of arbitration under the AfCFTA, newly enacted arbitration laws in countries such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Malawi, and the possibility of establishing regional dispute resolution institutions, including an investment court or a court of commercial arbitration.
Moderator
- Mohannad A. El Murtadi Suleiman, FCIArb
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP (Dubai)
Speaking Panel
- Juliya Arbisman, Partner, ReedSmith
- Professor Rose Rameau, Associate Professor of Law,
Albany Law School - The Honorable Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda, Attorney General for the Republic of Malawi
- Dr. Mahutodji Jimmy Vital Kodo, Founder, Kodo Law
2025 AAD-NY Moot sponsored by Debevoise & Plimpton LLC
2025 AAD-NY Moot Student Finalists:
- Anthony Okemwa Arani, University of Nairobi (Kenya)
- Palesa Keketso Mabitle, University of the Free State (South Africa)
- Henry Seyue, University of Connecticut School of Law
2025 AAD-NY Moot Coaches:
- Alejandro Barrett Lopez, Hughes Hubbard & Reed
- Persis Moore, Hughes Hubbard & Reed
2025 AAD-NY Moot Tribunal:
- Oladimeji Ayobobola Ojo, World Bank
- Ibrahim M. Amir, Diaz, Reus & Targ LLP
- Efat Elsherif, White & Case
- Fortunat N. Nadima, ROBIC
- Eleanor Erney, Hughes Hubbard & Reed
Best Oralist
- Palesa Keketso Mabitle, University of the Free State (South Africa)
Best Written Submission
- Anthony Okemwa Arani, University of Nairobi (Kenya)
Thank you AAD-NY Steering Committee!
Nawi Ukabiala, Debevoise & Plimpton, New York
*Steering Committee Chair
Alice Adu Gyamfi, DLA Piper LLP, New York
Knar Nahikian, CPR Institute, New York
Mohannad A. El Murtadi Suleiman, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, Dubai
Prince-Alex Iwu, Diaz, Reus & Targ LLP, Miami
Shayda Vance, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, Washington, D.C.
Tiwalade Aderoju, Olympus Solicitors and Advocates, Lagos, Nigeria