Programme committe, Keynote Speakers and Moderators of the Conference

Meg Kinnear brings unparalleled expertise and experience in investor-State, trade and commercial disputes, having led the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) from 2009-2024, and the Trade Law Bureau of Canada from 1999-2009. Over her more than 40 year career, she has been involved in complex, high-stakes litigation and arbitration involving diverse sectors such as transportation, natural resources, manufacturing, oil and gas, mining, aviation, and construction.

John Ohaga is the Managing Partner in the law firm of TripleOKlaw LLP. He holds an LLM in International Dispute Resolution from Queen Mary University of London. He is a Senior Counsel and a Chartered Arbitrator.

Andrew Dabalen is the World Bank’s Africa Region Chief Economist since July 1, 2022. The Chief Economist is responsible for providing guidance on strategic priorities and the technical quality of economic analysis in the region, as well as for developing major regional economic studies, among other roles.

He has held various positions including Senior Economist in the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia Region, Lead Economist and Practice Manager for Poverty and Equity in Africa and most recently, Practice Manager for Poverty and Equity in the South Asia Region. His research and scholarly publications focused on poverty and social impact analysis, inequality of opportunity, program evaluation, risk and vulnerability, labor markets, and conflict and welfare outcomes. He has co-authored regional reports on equality of opportunity for children in Africa, vulnerability and resilience in the Sahel, and poverty in a rising Africa.

A Kenyan national, Dabalen holds a master’s degree in International Development from University of California - Davis, and a PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from University of California - Berkeley.

Solicitors, Nigeria. He has garnered more than 15 years of experience in dispute resolution and commercial practice. He was part of the teams that represented multinational and domestic corporations in high-profile commercial disputes and has advised government agencies on several cutting-edge projects in Africa.

Abayomi has been engaged as counsel in several international arbitrations and appointed arbitrator in several domestic and international arbitrations in African countries. He was featured in the Legal 500 Africa Arbitration Powerlist 2021 as “one of the thought leaders of arbitration in Africa” and listed in leading directories, including Who’s Who Legal Arbitration (Partners). He recently won the Lexology Client Choice Awards 2024 (Nigeria, Arbitration).

He is an Adjunct Professor at Algoma University in Canada, Councilor in the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) African Users Council, Member of the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, and Court Member of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre.

Madeline has over 15 years’ experience in domestic and international dispute resolution, having acted for private entities in numerous complex, high-value disputes. Ms Kimei’s arbitration experience includes all the established arbitral rules, including those of the ICC, LCIA, KIAC, CRCICA, UNCITRAL, TIArb and the 1990 EDF. Her experience covers a broad range of commercial sectors, including mining, sale of goods, insurance, real estate development, banking and financial, construction, telecoms and tax-related disputes. She has participated as counsel or tribunal secretary in numerous commercial arbitrations under institutional arbitration rules, as well as in ad hoc proceedings, and has also represented clients in arbitration- related proceedings before the Tanzanian courts. Her work also involves ADR/ODR advisory and training.

Nakasamba is a Legal Practitioner of over 10 years, and a Partner at A.M.W & Co. Legal, a top-tier law firm based in Lusaka, Zambia. She is a commercial transactional lawyer with a wholistic perspective and well-rounded view of commercial transactions given her wealth of experience in matters relating to Regulatory Compliance, Competition Law, Tax Law, ESG, Sustainable, Corporate and Project Financing, Corporate Insolvency and Alternative Dispute Resolution. She advises both local and international clients on various requirements necessary for investing and doing business in Zambia. She has been lead-advisor in some of Zambia’s notable project, commercial transactions and mergers and acquisitions.

As an ADR practitioner, she is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) with focus in arbitration, mediation and adjudication. She is the current Chairperson of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Zambian Branch and Secretary General of the Lusaka International Arbitration Centre. In the last ten (10 years) she has acted as legal representative in numerous arbitration, and adjudication disputes, and has acted as sole/joint arbitrator and mediator between parties .

Nakasamba also sits on the Board of the Kigali International Arbitration Centre, an organization established by the Government of the Republic of Rwanda in collaboration with the Private Sector Federation to support economic operators resolve commercial disputes; is one of the inaugural steering committee members of the Young- AFSA (Arbitration Foundation for Southern Africa) ; is a member of; Young ICCA, IBA’s Arbitration Committee, Arb-40 and the SADC-LA division of AFSA working towards the standardization of arbitration practice in Southern Africa.

Jackwell is expert South African lawyer with extensive experience in public law in South Africa, public international law and international investment law with a particular focus on substantive matters in the energy, industrials, resources and infrastructure sectors in Africa.

He provides expert risk advisory services on, amongst others, transactions (Investment Agreement, PPPs etc.) with states or state-owned entities. He has acted as counsel for both state parties and commercial/investor parties in several complex disputes in different forums (mediations, arbitration etc.), courts, tribunals in several jurisdictions in Africa, including a treaty-based Tribunal in Africa.

Dr Sylvie BEBOHI EBONGO is a qualified Lawyer in Paris - France and Cameroon Bars. She is the Co-founder and Partner of HBE AVOCATS FRANCE and Founder and Managing Partner of Cab Bebohi Ebongo/HBE AVOCATS CAMEROUN, a “boutique” specialized in business law. Her thesis on enforcement of arbitral awards was awarded the best thesis in business and community law of the OHADA regional school in 2015. She sits as Arbitrator in institutional and ad hoc arbitrations.

She is a member of the ICSID Panel of arbitrators https://icsid.worldbank.org/about/arbitrators-conciliators/database-of-icsid-panels and listed on several other panels of Arbitrators (CCJA-OHADA, CRCICA, CAMCO, SHAC, CACI, AFSA, CMAG, CIETAC) and is very active in the arbitration community where she holds various roles in international dispute resolution organizations and associations: She is Member of the International Court of arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce and Member Ex-officio of the ICC ADR and Arbitration Commission for Cameroon, AfAA Board Member, APAA, AfricArb, ERA ASC, IBA Africa Network, CGA ASC, RAI, Arbitral Women, Mute off Thursdays).

She also acts as Counsel and advises institutional, private, and corporate clients in a variety of sectors (Construction, Projects, Infrastructure, Banking and Finance, Energy and Mining, International Contracts, Private Equity) both in Africa (OHADA in particular) and in the West part of the world. She regularly speaks, teaches, and provides training in Arbitration and ADR. She also publishes articles and provide translation services in the field and is fluent in French and English.

Won L. Kidane is a professor of law at the Villanova University School of Law and a partner at the DC based boutique international arbitration law firm, ALG,LLP. Professor Kidane is the author and co-author of five major books, and more than 40 law review articles and book chapters. His most recent renowned work is The Culture of International Arbitration (Oxford University Press, 2017), and his most recent publication is a comprehensive appraisal of Africa’s International Investment Law Regimes (Oxford University Press, 2024).

Professor Kidane has for over two decades represented African states, their agencies and instrumentalities in major state-to-state, investor-state and commercial arbitration. Before joining the legal academy, he practiced law in Washington with Hunton and Williams and Piper Rudnick (DLA). He currently teaches international arbitration and comparative law and runs Villanova’s South Africa Program in the spring semester. He obtained his SJD from Georgetown, JD with honors from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, LLM, University of Georgia and LLB, Addis Ababa

Mercy Okiro brings over a decade of post-admission experience to her practice. She has acted as sole arbitrator, mediator, and construction adjudicator in disputes in various industries. Mercy is on the panel of Neutrals of various institutions locally and regionally.

She was feted in 2019 as the "The Young African Arbitration Practitioner of the year 2019", was listed as one of Africa's Most Promising Young Arbitrators 2020, 2021 and 2022 by the Association of Young Arbitrators, named as 2nd runner ADR Practitioner of the Year in 2021 by the Law Society of Kenya, Nairobi Branch. She was awarded the Jury's Award in 2023 for her contributions to ADR by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Kenya.

Mercy is an active member of the arbitration community and sits on the IBA 40 Arbitration Committee, the Council of the Association of Young Arbitrators, is an Advisory Board member of the Lagos Court of Arbitration (Young Arbitrators Network) and a Steering Committee Member of the Equality for Representation in Arbitration, Africa.

She was an ICC YAAF Representative for Africa and MENA, sat on the Steering Committee of the Young Members Group of CIArb London, and was the founding Chair of the Young Members Group of CIArb Kenya. She also served as an Ambassador for the Alliance for Equality in Dispute Resolution, Arbitrator Intelligence and Racial Equality for Arbitration Lawyers(REAL).

Mercy's academic background includes a Master of Arts in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Laws degree in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration from the Queen Mary University of London.

Nania is a litigation and arbitration practitioner and a Partner at Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah, a first-tier law firm in Ghana. She regularly advises and represents clients in a range of high value litigation and arbitration disputes and is particularly noted for her innovative approach to solving complex legal issues. She also sits as an Arbitrator and is on the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators.

She is a Court member of the LCIA and President of the LCIA African Users’ Council. She is also Chair of the Ghana Chapter of CIArb and a member of the English Commercial Bar (COMBAR) Africa Committee. Nania is an Associate Member of 3 Verulam Buildings, a leading barristers’ chambers in London. She is a lecturer in Alternative Dispute Resolution at the Ghana School of Law and is on the editorial board of Arbitration International journal, published by Oxford University Press. She is called to the bar in England and Wales and in Ghana.

Makane Moïse Mbengue is Professor of International Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva and Director of the Department of International Law and International Organization. He is also an Affiliate Professor at Sciences Po Paris (School of Law).

Since 2017, he is the President of the African Society of International Law (AfSIL). He is an Associate Member of the Institut de droit international. He has acted and acts as expert for the African Union, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) among others. He also acts as a Professor for courses in International Law organized by the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Prof. Mbengue acts as counsel in disputes before international courts and tribunals (in particular, before the International Court of Justice and in investment cases) and as advisor for governments. He is involved in the negotiations of several International Investment Agreements in Africa. He is the author of several publications in the field of international law.

Mohamed Abdel Wahab is Professor of International Arbitration, Private International Law and English Contract Law, Cairo University; Founding Partner and Head of International Arbitration, Construction and Energy Groups at Zulficar & Partners Law Firm (Egypt); Member of the Governing Board (ICCA); and Dean of the Africa Arbitration Academy. He has served as ‘Arbitrator’, ‘Legal Expert’ and ‘Counsel’ in more than 255 cases, involving parties from the Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

He received the LAW Magazine 2017 Best Legal Practitioner Award, the 2018 ASA International Arbitration Advocacy Prize, the 2019 AYA Hall-of-Fame African Arbitrator Award, the 2020 and 2021 Client Choice International Award. He is listed in Who’s Who Global Elite Thought Leaders: International Arbitration; selected among the Legal500 Africa Powerlist and the AYA’s Africa's Top 30 Powerlist. He is the coeditor (with Prof Maxi Scherer and Ms. Niuscha Bassiri) of “International Arbitration and the COVID-19 Revolution” (2020); co-editor (with Prof Ethan Katsh and Mr. Daniel Rainey) of “Online Dispute Resolution: Theory and Practice” (2021).

Isaiah Bozimo, SAN, is a Partner at Broderick Bozimo & Company and a former Attorney-General of Delta State. He represents governments, corporations, and individuals in commercial disputes, focusing on arbitration and commercial litigation. As Attorney-General, he introduced significant legal reforms, including the Delta State Arbitration Law 2022.

He is a Vice President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, a Chartered Arbitrator, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He serves on arbitration panels worldwide and writes and speaks on dispute resolution across Africa.

Dyalá is a Costa Rican national, member of the Governing Board of ICCA. She is on the ICSID panel of arbitrators and conciliators for Costa Rica and on the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS). She is past member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration (2021-2024).

Ms. Jiménez is the author of numerous publications and has taught in universities in Costa Rica and Chile, where she lived and worked for almost 10 years (2004-2013). Dyalá served as Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica (2018-2020).