We want to ask ourselves hard questions. We want to examine our journey so far because the international arbitration community [once] believed that A… - Dorothy Ufot

For decades, women and ethnic minorities have faced discrimination and disadvantage in arbitrator appointments, on the narrative that there is a dearth of qualified Arbitrators in Africa. I am happy to state that, the narrative certainly does not hold water today, as even this hall is filled with highly qualified Arbitrators of African descent

It is noteworthy that about 21 countries around the world are currently governed by women. Apart from politics and governance, women have also profoundly achieved groundbreaking feats in various fields such as medicine, law, economics, sports, space, technology, media and entertainment. Only recently, our own Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed the Director General of the World Trade Organization, making her the first woman and first African to occupy that position.

All countries in Africa are busy trying to attract foreign investments. You will agree with me that without international arbitration, there cannot be foreign investors. In any jurisdiction, arbitration is one of the viable components for attracting foreign investors.