Countries and organisations that want to attract investment and deliver large projects need dispute resolution systems that are fast, fair and predictable. Arbitration and mediation now sit alongside the courts as core parts of that system, and governments across Africa have been modernising their arbitration statutes, establishing arbitration centres and introducing court-annexed mediation. Getting the policy and regulatory design right determines whether these reforms build confidence or simply add another layer of delay.

The Policy and Regulatory Frameworks for Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course examines that design from the perspective of policymakers, practitioners and users. It covers the international instruments that shape national laws, the relationship between arbitral tribunals and national courts, the regulation of arbitrators and mediators, and the institutional rules that govern proceedings. Participants also look at dispute resolution in public procurement and public-private partnerships, investor-state disputes, and the use of dispute boards and expert determination in construction.

Sessions blend legal analysis with practical drafting. Participants compare statutes against model law provisions, draft and critique dispute resolution clauses, walk through enforcement scenarios and, in a final workshop, propose improvements to a dispute resolution policy or institutional framework of their choice.

Participants will learn to:

• Interpret the key provisions of the UNCITRAL Model Laws on arbitration and mediation.
• Analyse how the New York Convention governs the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards.
• Evaluate the supportive and supervisory roles of national courts in arbitration.
• Compare institutional and ad hoc arbitration rules and their effect on cost and timelines.
• Design policies for court-annexed mediation and the enforcement of mediated settlements.
• Draft multi-tier dispute resolution clauses for commercial, procurement and PPP contracts.
• Assess regulatory options for accrediting and disciplining arbitrators and mediators.

The programme is relevant to legal, policy and contract professionals, including:

• Advocates and legal practitioners handling commercial disputes
• In-house counsel and company secretaries
• State counsel and legal officers in attorney general offices
• Policy officers in ministries of justice and law reform commissions
• Judicial officers and court administrators
• Procurement, contract and PPP managers in public agencies
• Staff and administrators of arbitration and mediation centres
• Practising and aspiring arbitrators and mediators

Participants leave equipped with:

• A comparison table of a national arbitration statute against the UNCITRAL Model Law.
• Model multi-tier dispute resolution clauses tested in drafting exercises.
• An enforcement risk checklist for domestic and foreign arbitral awards.
• A framework for evaluating court-annexed mediation programmes.
• A reform proposal for a dispute resolution policy or institution of their choice.

The course combines legal analysis with applied practice:

• Clause-by-clause comparison of statutes and institutional rules
• Drafting labs for arbitration agreements and multi-tier clauses
• Mediation and tribunal role-plays with structured feedback
• Case studies on enforcement, setting aside and infrastructure disputes
• A final reform workshop with peer review

Every participant who attends the full programme and contributes to the drafting labs and reform workshop receives a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.