On February 26, the first "China-Africa Arbitration Day" successfully concluded in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, achieving fruitful results. This grand event was jointly organized by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), the Association for the Promotion of Arbitration in Africa (APAA), and the Arbitration and Mediation Center of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Crafts of Cameroon (CAM-CCIMC), with the full support of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Crafts of Cameroon (CCIMC) and the Cameroon Bar Association. It built a crucial platform for the communication and cooperation of the arbitration and legal communities in China and Africa.

Government officials from countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, the Central African Republic, and Gabon, as well as more than 200 arbitration and legal experts, lawyers, scholars, and business representatives from over a dozen African countries including Cameroon, Egypt, Guinea, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, the Congo, and Gabon gathered together to jointly explore the important role of arbitration in China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. Cameroon Radio Television covered the event throughout. The event had a wide impact locally. 

(Scene of the Conference)

Wang Chengjie, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of CIETAC, Roger MBASSA NEIN, Mayor of Douala, Djeuhon Frédéric, representative of the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Crafts of Cameroon, MBAH Eric, President of the Cameroon Bar Association, and Gaston KENFACK DOUANI, President of the Association for the Promotion of Arbitration in Africa and an arbitrator of CIETAC, attended the conference and delivered opening speeches. The seminar consisted of keynote speech and round-table discussion sessions. Nearly 20 arbitration practitioners from China and Africa conducted in-depth discussions on hot topics such as China-Africa relations and the settlement of China-Africa trade disputes. 

(Secretary-General Wang Chengjie delivering a speech)

In his speech, Secretary-General Wang Chengjie said that China has become Africa's largest trading partner for many consecutive years, and the cooperation between the two sides involving infrastructure construction, energy development, and the digital economy etc. has been continuously deepened. In this context, commercial activities are becoming more and more frequent. Consequently, commercial disputes are increasing in number and becoming more complex. How to resolve disputes efficiently and fairly has become an important issue to ensure the sustainable development of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. The first "China-Africa Arbitration Day" event held in Douala aimed to build a platform for arbitration communication between China and Africa and promote legal cooperation. He suggested that arbitration institutions in China and Africa carry out extensive cooperation in promoting the coordination and improvement of arbitration rules, enhance the capability of arbitrator teams, and the publicity and promotion of arbitration, so as to jointly improve the level of arbitration legal services in China and Africa and contribute to China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. 

(Mayor Roger MBASSA NEIN delivering a speech)

Mayor Roger MBASSA NEIN said in his speech that as the economic capital of Cameroon and an important trade hub in Africa, Douala was honored to host the first "China-Africa Arbitration Day" event. The economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa has brought many development opportunities to Douala. A large number of infrastructure construction projects have been implemented, creating abundant local jobs and promoting the prosperity of the city. Now, with the increasingly close economic and trade exchanges between China and Africa, properly resolving commercial disputes is crucial to the sustainability of bilateral cooperation. This event provided an excellent opportunity for exchanges in the field of arbitration between China and Africa. He looked forward to all parties taking this opportunity to jointly explore an arbitration mechanism more suitable for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation and create a more stable and fair business environment. 

(Speech by Djeuhon Frédéric)

On behalf of the President, Djeuhon Frédéric said in his speech that the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Crafts of Cameroon has always been committed to promoting the vigorous development of economic and trade cooperation between China and Cameroon. Arbitration, as an important means of resolving commercial disputes, plays a key role in maintaining a fair and just business order. He looked forward to the cooperation between CIETAC and the Association for the Promotion of Arbitration in Africa, which would help China-Africa arbitration cooperation reach another level. 

(Speech by President MBAH Eric)

President MBAH Eric said in his speech that the Cameroon Bar Association would fully support the relevant cooperation between arbitration institutions in China and Africa. He hoped that through the joint efforts of all parties, a more complete China-Africa commercial dispute resolution system could be constructed to create a more stable and reliable legal environment for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.

(Speech by President Gaston KENFACK DOUANI)

In his speech, President Gaston KENFACK DOUANI expressed his sincere gratitude to CIETAC for inviting him to participate in the "China-MENA Arbitration Summit" last year. He said that at that extraordinary event, he deeply felt the active actions and excellent influence of CIETAC in promoting international arbitration cooperation. The cooperation with CIETAC this time was a new and promising starting point. China-Africa arbitration cooperation was the core force in building an efficient and fair dispute resolution mechanism, which could create a stable and predictable business environment for enterprises on both sides and strongly promote the sustainable and healthy development of the economies of China and Africa. 

(Secretary-General Wang Chengjie and President Gaston KENFACK DOUANI signing the cooperation agreement)

At the seminar, CIETAC and the Association for the Promotion of Arbitration in Africa signed a cooperation agreement in the presence of Mayor Roger MBASSA NEIN, Chief Bayo Ojo SAN, former Minister of Justice of Nigeria, Nicaise KARNOU, former Minister of the Central African Republic, MOUGNAL SIDI, Director of the Legal Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Cameroon, and François Xavier MBONO, President of the Court of Appeal of Cameroon and an arbitrator of CIETAC, as well as on-site representatives. The Association for the Promotion of Arbitration was established in 2005 and is an international non-governmental organization committed to promoting arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms in Africa. The signing of this cooperation agreement between the two institutions aimed to carry out broader and deeper cooperation in jointly promoting the arbitration system, organizing arbitration activities, recommending arbitrators to each other, and strengthening dispute resolution research, so as to provide high-quality dispute resolution services for China-Africa commercial disputes and promote the healthy and stable development of China-Africa economic and trade relations. 

(Secretary-General Wang Chengjie delivering a keynote speech)

Subsequently, Secretary-General Wang Chengjie delivered a keynote speech on the theme of "New Arbitration Rules and Practical Developments of CIETAC". From the aspects of the international development of CIETAC cases, the highlights and practices of new arbitration rules, and extensive international cooperation, he demonstrated the achievements of CIETAC's commitment to providing diversified dispute resolution services for Chinese and foreign parties and its high emphasis on strengthening international cooperation. He said that signing the cooperation agreement with the Association for the Promotion of Arbitration in Africa at this event was an important measure for CIETAC to further promote the exchanges of legal ideas and cooperation between China and the African region. It would create a better business environment for Chinese and African enterprises, fuel the deepening and development of China-Africa economic and trade relations, and help both sides achieve mutual benefit and win-win results in a broader field.

In the round-table discussion session, Chinese and foreign experts present conducted in-depth discussions on the hot issues of the development of arbitration in China and Africa. 

[For the discussion of Topic 1: From top to bottom and from left to right, they are SHOLA Oshodi-John, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Nigeria; Brad Wang, Deputy Secretary-General of CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center; Anne Audrey EKONGOLO, Barrister of the Cameroon Bar Association and Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Arbitration and Mediation Center of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Crafts of Cameroon; Judge Dominique HASCHER of the Singapore International Commercial Court; Beatrice CASTELLANE, Independent Arbitrator and Barrister; Nicaise KARNOU, Magistrate and former Minister of the Central African Republic; Chairman Anne Audrey EKONGOLO (moderator); MOUGNAL SIDI , Diplomat and Director of the Legal Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Cameroon]

Topic 1 was themed "An Overview of China-Africa Arbitration” and was moderated by Chairman Anne Audrey Ekongolo. Deputy Secretary-General Brad Wang, CEO Shola Oshodi-John, Judge Dominique HASCHER, Barrister Beatrice CASTELLANE, Minister Nicaise KARNOU, and Director MOUGNAL SIDI, as discussion guests, shared their views on the economic, trade, and diplomatic relations between China and Cameroon and between China and Africa, and the development of arbitration in China and Africa. 

[For the discussion of Topic 2: From top to bottom and from left to right, they are WAMBA MAKOLO, Barrister of the Cameroon Bar Association and Arbitrator of CIETAC; Anne Audrey EKONGOLO, Chairperson of the Technical Committee of the Arbitration and Mediation Tribunal of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Crafts of Cameroon; Independent Arbitrator Achille NGWANZA; Barrister and Arbitrator of the Kinshasa Bar Association TELO NZONGO Philoméne; Chief Bayo Ojo SAN, former Minister of Justice of Nigeria; François Xavier MBONO, President of the Court of Appeal of Cameroon and Arbitrator of CIETAC; Arbitrator Achille NGWANZA (moderator); Dr. Hamidou TANGARA, Lecturer at the University of Paris-Sud 11 (Sorbonne Paris Nord University); Gaston KENFACK DOUAJNI, President of the Association for the Promotion of Arbitration in Africa and Arbitrator of CIETAC]

The discussion on Topic 2, "Implementation of Awards in African Arbitration Institutions and the OHADA Region", was moderated by Arbitrator Achille NGWANZA. MAMADOU Kone, Secretary-General of the Arbitration Center of the Judicial and Arbitration Court, Arbitrator WAMBA MAKOLO, Anne Audrey EKONGOLO, Chairperson of the Technical Committee of the Arbitration and Mediation Tribunal of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Crafts of Cameroon, Chief Bayo Ojo SAN, former Minister of Justice of Nigeria, Lawyer TELO NZONGO Philoméne, Dr. Hamidou TANGARA, President François Xavier MBONO, and President Gaston KENFACK DOUAJNI, as discussion guests, combined with the policies and judicial environment in the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA) region, and expressed professional views on the development of diversified dispute resolution mechanisms such as arbitration and mediation in this region.

[At the closing ceremony, from left to right, they are ABUNAW Gilbert, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arbitration and Mediation Center of the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce, Barrister; Chief Bayo Ojo SAN, former Minister of Justice of Nigeria; Arbitrator Achille NGWANZA (moderator); Gaston KENFACK DOUAJNI, President of the Association for the Promotion of Arbitration in Africa and Arbitrator of CIETAC]

The speakers at the closing ceremony highly appraised the success of the first "China-Africa Arbitration Day" event respectively, expressed sincere gratitude to CIETAC for facilitating this cooperation, and once again expressed a strong desire to strengthen legal cooperation in arbitration between China and Africa.

The first "China-Africa Arbitration Day" successfully ended amidst warm discussions and communication. The participants generally believed that the seminar was helpful for enhancing the understanding of the arbitration legal systems in China and Africa, especially the relevant situation of CIETAC. It built a good platform for promoting arbitration and exchanging legal ideas and cooperation between China and Africa. Especially under the current international situation, it will surely play a positive role in promoting the stable and orderly development of China-Africa economic and trade relations.