JMiles & Co was in the planning of and participated in the second East African International Arbitration Conference that was held at the Hyatt Regency in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for a period of two days. Elizabeth Karanja, Assistant Director at JMiles & Co was part of the planning and organization of the Conference.
The Conference built on the success of the Nairobi Forum which took place in July 2014. The Conference highlighted the increasing importance of International Arbitration as a tool for promoting foreign investment in the continent, with a focus on Tanzania and East Africa’s oil & Gas sector. The region continues to be a favored destination for investment, and this interest raises a need for greater awareness of dispute resolution. In this regard, the speeches, amongst other subjects, focused on the role of the International Arbitration institutions, the recognition and enforcement of awards, International Arbitration in East Africa, International Arbitration in the Oil and Gas Sector and Investment Treaty Arbitration, with focus on East Africa Investment Treaties.
The speakers at the Conference were pooled from internationally recognized law firms such as; Addleshaw & Goddard, Allen & Overy, Brick Court Chambers, Clyde & Co, DLA Piper, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, Hogan Lovells, King & Spalding and Mayer Brown International LLP.
John Miles, the Director of JMiles & Co, gave a talk on Investor-State arbitration, where he discussed the recent dynamics of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) in East Africa. He also explained the procedure of instituting an arbitration under the International Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
Nikhil Desai, a Senior Associate at JMiles & Co, gave a talk on International Arbitration in East Africa. He explained the arbitration laws in the different East African countries. He also explained how courts in the different jurisdictions treat arbitration clauses in parties’ Agreements. Lastly, he touched on the different arbitration institutions such as the ICC and the LCIA.
Locally, other firms which were also represented were; Anjarwalla & Khanna, ATZ Law Chambers, Coulson Harney, Iseme Kamau & Maema and Ishengoma Karume Masha & Magai Advocates. Speakers from centres for International Arbitration such as the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration (NCIA), the Chartered Institute of Arbitration, the Kigali International Arbitration Centre (KIAC) and the Mauritius International Arbitration Centre (MIAC) were also present.
The Conference was also graced by Charles Rwechungura, the president of the Tanganyika Law Society and Lazaro Nyalundu, the Minister for Natural Resources & Tourism in Tanzania.