ICSID chief deepens engagement with African states on investment dispute reform

GENEVA (XOL Africa) — International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Secretary-General Martina Polasek undertook a series of engagements across Africa aimed at strengthening cooperation with governments, investment agencies, businesses and legal professionals on investment and dispute resolution issues.

Polasek’s May visit included stops in Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal, where she met with government officials, investment agencies, business organizations, legal practitioners and students, according to the ICSID.

The engagement began at the AG PACT Forum in Kigali, a World Bank Group initiative focused on promoting collaboration and reforms to encourage investment and job creation.

Polasek moderated a panel on alternative dispute resolution in public-private partnerships, which brought together attorneys general, justice ministers and other legal representatives from African states.

She was accompanied during the engagements by ICSID officials Aïssatou Diop and Oladimeji Ojo.

The discussions focused on strengthening dialogue between ICSID and African states and supporting efforts to improve investment frameworks and mechanisms for resolving disputes.

In June, ICSID officials Ella Rosenberg and Alicia Martín Blanco participated in a regional workshop organized by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law in Rabat, Morocco.

The workshop included training sessions and discussions aimed at supporting African states in participating in ongoing reforms to the investor-state dispute settlement system, or ISDS.

The engagements come as African countries continue to assess reforms to international investment dispute mechanisms and seek to attract investment while strengthening national legal and regulatory frameworks.

ICSID, a member of the World Bank Group, provides facilities and procedures for the conciliation and arbitration of international investment disputes between states and foreign investors.