2012 has clearly been a lucky year for opening arbitration centres in Africa.

First, the Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA) was launched on 9 November 2012, during the Kuramo Conference in Lagos. The LCA is an independent, public-sector focused body which renders arbitration, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services. This development reinforces a number of efforts in Nigeria to promote arbitration within the country.

Second, the Nairobi Centre of International Arbitration Bill 2012 was introduced to the Parliament of the Republic of Kenya on 4 December 2012. The objective of the bill is to establish an independent, non-profit making organisation for commercial arbitration based in Nairobi. The bill reflects provisions of the Constitution adopted by the Republic of Kenya in August 2010, which give prominence to the role of ADR.

It is foreseen that the Nairobi centre will hear both international and domestic disputes and will also serve to advise the Kenyan government on the drafting of international agreements. The bill proposes that the centre will be comprised of a president, two deputy presidents, a registrar and 15 other individuals who will all be leading international arbitrators.

In addition, whilst speaking at the First International Conference on Arbitration in December 2012, the Minister of Justice and Human Rights in Angola announced plans to set up a number of experimental arbitration centres in Angola during 2013. These centres will have a permanent and institutionalised character to handle both commercial and consumer conflicts.

These are encouraging developments, no doubt partly in response to the significant foreign direct investment inflows into these countries, as well as the surrounding regions.