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.
