On 23 October 2023, the English High Court handed down a landmark decision setting aside a USD 11 billion arbitral award (the final award) obtained by a British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) company, Process and Industrial Developments Limited (“P&ID”), against the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Judge upheld Nigeria’s challenge of the arbitral award on the…

2023 stands out as a pivotal year marked by substantial advancements in arbitration across the African continent. Despite global challenges such as the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and projections of a slow recovery in Foreign Direct Investment (“FDI”) in the continent, African practitioners have demonstrated unwavering resilience and commitment to propelling the field…

A recent decision, Nigeria vs P&ID, issued by the English High Court of Justice, has drawn significant global public attention. This decision is notable for several reasons. It is rare for English courts to overturn arbitration awards. However, it is the exceptional circumstances underlying the dispute that were truly extraordinary and render this case newsworthy….

Abimbola Akeredolu, SAN is a partner in the Litigation, Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution practice at the Nigerian law firm Banwo & Ighodalo and the Chairman of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre. She has more than 30 years of experience in commercial, intellectual property, tax, insolvency, labour and industrial disputes. Her experience…

As the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023 (AMA) reshapes the legal landscape of dispute resolution in Nigeria, one of its remarkable provisions is the establishment of the Award Review Tribunal (ART). At Kluwer Arbitration Blog, posts have already been published that provide an overview of the AMA and more insights into the ART. To recall,…

In May 2023, Nigeria’s Arbitration and Mediation Act (AMA) was enacted. It replaced the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1988 with a modernised version that aligns with the 2006 UNCITRAL Model Law. Among its salient features is the Award Review Tribunal (ART) mechanism, outlined in Section 56. This distinctive, innovative procedural offers an alternative to traditional…

2022 witnessed the continued growth and concerted efforts of practitioners within Africa to promote the use of arbitration across the region. A report published by Herbert Smith Freehills in the first quarter of 2022 revealed that the number of arbitrations taking place in the continent, in comparison with those outside the continent, has increased. Despite…

The ruling given on 25 February 2020 (‘Ruling’) by the High Court of Lagos State in Nigeria (‘Lagos High Court’), setting aside an award in the case of Global Gas and Refinery Limited (‘Global Gas’) and Shell Petroleum Development Company (‘Shell’) on the ground of arbitrator non-disclosure, raises concern to the arbitral community both in…

2019 has been a busy year for international arbitration in Sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, the year has brought an interesting wave of precedents, new domestic statutes, modern international investment agreements, and arbitration events. This post highlights and summarises some of the African developments covered in the Blog in 2019, with many thanks to the authors who…

In the recent judgment of AIC Limited v The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria [2019] EWHC 2212, the English High Court adjourned the decision to enforce a Nigerian arbitral award in exercise of its discretion pursuant to section 103(5) of the Arbitration Act 1996 (which gives effect to Article VI of the New York Convention)…

The interplay between the principle of party autonomy and procedural flexibility in arbitration greatly accounts for the growth of international arbitration as the preferred method of dispute resolution for cross-border commercial disputes. The growing trend of this preference is reflected in the most recent International Arbitration Survey conducted by the School of International Arbitration at…

Introduction Party autonomy is the underlining principle of arbitration. The courts ought to have it in mind whenever they are called upon to intervene in matters related to arbitration. The right of parties to resolve their dispute by arbitration must be upheld and given effect to. When the judiciary acts to give effect to this…

Disputes, particularly arbitration, has been predominated by the old pale male. Diversity, though a hot topic, is something that the arbitration field is still striving to achieve. What many would like to see is that all people, male or female, are appointed whether as an arbitrator or a counsel based on their credentials. However, as…

Matters Arising on Proposed Changes to Arbitration Law in Nigeria In February 2018, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria passed the much-anticipated Arbitration and Conciliation Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2017 (‘Bill’). Since then, the Bill has been pending before the House of Representatives (HoR) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the second…

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Allen & Overy, nor those of its clients. Introduction Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented level of attention on corporate responsibility for human rights. As public calls for action in this area intensify, States are…

Introduction   It is no longer news that Third-Party-Funding (TPF) has captured the attention of the arbitration community in recent times and has become increasingly popular even in international commercial and investment arbitration. No doubt, the recent expansion of TPF in international commercial and investment arbitration has spurred debates with regard to its regulation, both…

The past few months have witnessed several momentous developments for international arbitration in Africa. Angola, Cabo Verde, and Sudan acceded to the New York Convention; South Africa adopted a new International Arbitration Act; the OHADA Council of Ministers adopted three new texts on arbitration and mediation; and the Nigerian Arbitration and Conciliation Act (Repeal and…

Introduction In March 2017, Senator Emmanuel Andy Uba introduced the Arbitration and Conciliation Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill (the Bill). While the first reading of the Bill was done at the Nigerian Senate Chambers in March 2017, the second reading of the Bill was not done till April 2017 and only thereafter was it referred…

In a previous post, the issue of finality of arbitral awards in Nigeria was discussed and it was concluded that the review of awards is not in itself a vice to arbitration. In this post, I share further observations on the finality debacle with emphasis on the pro-finality judicial policy in Nigeria. Are our Criticisms…

A feature of arbitration that makes it appealing to the user is the finality of arbitral awards. Parties are encouraged, upon the advice of counsel to submit to the arbitral process because the end result is final and not subject to appeal. However, the reality as users come to find, is that an award is…

Arbitration practice is on the rise in Nigeria. On the 3rd of November, 2017, the Nigeria Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) inducted 219 Associates, 58 Members and 20 Fellows into the branch. The branch also boasts a burgeoning class of Chartered Arbitrators. The expectation is that the number of inductees will continue…

and Afolabi Euba and Hamid Abdulkareem, Aluko & Oyebode, Lagos, Nigeria In the course of 2012, a number of injunctions have been issued by Nigerian courts to stop arbitrations commenced by international oil companies against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). One of such orders was made ex parte by the Nigerian Federal High Court…