Reflections from the Lusaka Arbitration Week 2026
The formal handover of Zambia’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Bill marks a significant step toward creating a unified legislative framework for arbitration, mediation, and construction dispute resolution. At the same time, Kenya is pursuing parallel reforms through proposed legislation including the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill, the Dispute Resolution Bill and the Construction Payments Adjudication Bill, highlighting two different but complementary approaches to strengthening ADR systems in the region. Viewed together, these reforms signal a broader shift across African infrastructure markets toward clearer enforcement mechanisms, stronger institutions, and more accessible dispute resolution frameworks.
Reflections from the Zambia Arbitration Week – The Two Percent Problem: Enforcing Dispute Board Decisions
In construction dispute resolution circles, one statistic is repeated so frequently that it has almost become a mantra. Dispute boards resolve approximately 98% of the disputes referred to them. It is an impressive figure and understandably so. The number features prominently in conference presentations, training materials, and advocacy for the dispute board model. But the remaining 2% deserves attention.
The New Era of Government-Owned Enterprises in Kenya: Governance Reform and the Expanding Role of Certified Secretaries
Kenya has entered a defining moment in the governance of its public commercial institutions with the enactment of the Government Owned Enterprises Act. The Act represents one of the most significant structural reforms in the management of state-owned commercial entities in recent history. The Act presents a governance reset. It shifts Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs) from traditional bureaucratic state corporation models into commercially prudent public companies governed under the Companies Act.
People Over Profit: Why the Social Pillar of ESG Determines Long-Term Sustainability
Sustainability is often discussed in terms of profits, carbon footprints, and compliance metrics. Yet, at its core, sustainability is about people. The social aspect of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks and the people dimension of the Triple Bottom Line, remains the most decisive factor in determining whether organizations endure uncertainty, crises and change. For companies, organizations and state corporations alike, people are not just stakeholders; they are the system itself. Employees, customers, suppliers, communities, regulators and shareholders form an interconnected web where trust, once broken, creates ripple effects that can outlast any financial loss.
AI and Arbitration: Navigating Innovation and Integrity in Africa’s Arbitral Future
The Africa Arbitration Association held its 6th Annual Conference in Cairo, Egypt, from October 10th to 12th, 2025. The theme was “Rethinking Arbitration in a Changing International Landscape: African Challenges and Perspectives.”
