FIRM-SPONSORED AFRICARB EVENT IN HONG KONG BRINGS AFRICA TO ASIA

Author: Greg Travaini

The firm played a key role supporting AfricArb's first dedicated event in Asia, helping to raise the firm's profile in the Asian and African arbitration communities.

AfricArb was created by a group of young legal professionals with a shared interest in Arbitration and Africa. The Hong Kong events builds on similarly successful ones organised in Paris and Mauritius.

With the support of HK45, a group for young arbitration practitioners in Asia and the young arm of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), AfricArb organised an Oxford-style debate entitled "Africa: El Dorado or Mirage?"

Hong Kong senior associate Greg Travaini moderated the debate between Aisha Abdallah, Head of Disputes at Anjarwalla & Khanna in Nairobi and Mombasa (Kenya), and Jonathan Lim, senior associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP in London.

The speakers discussed whether Africa is the next big arbitration player and whether it is a place for arbitration to thrive. They touched on the following themes:

• Do African countries have the world's fastest-growing economies?
• Do African countries have credible arbitration sets?
• How is the recent influx of foreign direct investments into Africa protected?
• What are the challenges associated with Africa such as corruption, political stability and corporate social responsibility?

Reflecting on the event, Greg said: "I was thrilled to see so many people at this first dedicated event in Asia. The audience's interest in this topic shows how important it is to all stakeholders globally, even more so here in Asia, in light of the Belt and Road Initiative. Africa – as a continent – is for sure a land of opportunities!"

For more information, please contact Greg Travaini. You can also visit https://hkiac.eventbank.com/event/africa-eldorado-or-mirage-15797/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/afric-arb-2b6076145/?originalSubdomain=fr.