Kigali, Rwanda to host the 5th Edition of East Africa International Arbitration Conference

The conference will profile East Africa’s arbitration centres in Nairobi, Kigali and Mauritius as competitive centres to the already established centres in the world offering reliable and efficient alternative for the users of arbitration
KIGALI, Rwanda, June 19, 2017/ — Africa’s ambitious development projects and relatively stable governments continue to attract international investors.

These investors often prefer the adoption of arbitration as the dispute resolution mechanism as opposed to litigation.

To support stakeholders across East Africa in their efforts towards the development of East Africa’s arbitration practice, position East Africa’s investment competitiveness, Rwanda will host the 5th edition of the East Africa International Arbitration Conference (EAIAC2017) (www.EAArbitration.com) on the 28th & 29th September 2017 at Serena Hotel, Kigali this annual event gives you a thousand reasons why you must visit the land of a thousand hills.

Hosted under the patronage of Kigali International Arbitration Centre (KIAC), this year’s conference is themed ‘Linkages between International Arbitration and Africa’s economy’.

The conference will focus on the economic implications of international arbitration, scrutinising the current state of international arbitration practice in East Africa and deliberate on a roadmap for the future.

The conference will profile East Africa’s arbitration centres in Nairobi, Kigali and Mauritius as competitive centres to the already established centres in the world offering reliable and efficient alternative for the users of arbitration.

Why Rwanda
Rwanda through KIAC is without a doubt the leading arbitration centre in Africa. The centre administers cases both under UNCITRAL rules and its own rules and currently has the largest caseload of all African arbitral institutions at 52 cases. These are mostly infrastructure based. This coupled with the incredible performance of Rwanda as Africa’s best place to do business makes the country a sure host for this year’s conference.

East Africa Shines where the rest falter
With the West Africa’s economies facing challenges due to commodity crises, South Africa’s political and economic challenges, East African countries led by our host Rwanda have thrived, recording robust growth as well as outlining ambitious infrastructure projects which have attracted international investments.

The growth in foreign investment in East Africa will without a doubt see an increase in international disputes hence the importance in ensuring the development of East Africa’s International Arbitration capacity.

This conference therefore will in detail discuss the economic implications of international arbitration, emerging areas in international arbitration. Speakers will explore the place for East Africa in International Arbitration as well as the importance of International Arbitration in African dispute resolution.

EAIAC 2017 isn’t just a conference, it has grown to become a must attend annual regional forum and attracts hundreds of delegates representing Industry leaders drawn from key sectors of the region’s economy.

EAIAC 2017 is important for in-house counsels, regional and international arbitration professionals, lawyers, magistrates, users of arbitration, governments and trade experts as it will impart them with necessary skills and knowledge to handle large investment contracts with arbitration as a dispute resolution mechanism.

It has become a credible platform for International law firms to showcase their Africa practice, and the only platform that offers an opportunity to showcase some of Africa’s best practices that are rarely recognised in international arbitration.

Co-Hosts for this year’s conference include GBS AFRICA and IARB.

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