Chair
Caliis Badoo
The African Regional Forum aims to further enhance the objectives of the IBA by means of cooperation, support of bar associations in developing countries, development of laws, and the exchange of information and ideals.
These are exciting times for our Forum! With the primary objective of the enhancement of the value and significance of the Forum to all members globally, we have established various Working Groups which function alongside a panel of distinguished Advisory Board members.
The problems facing African lawyers are different from those affecting lawyers in other regions. To this end, the African Regional Forum was created to identify and address these problems.
Click to see the aims of the African Regional Forum
29 May - 30 May 2025
Lagos , Nigeria
The IBA took a unique step to address mental wellbeing within the legal profession. This was following concerns over too-frequent reports of substance abuse, severe depression and suicide within the profession.
In 2019, a Task Force was set up to investigate these issues. This exercise resulted into the production of a report, ‘Mental Wellbeing in the Legal Profession: A Global Study’, which can be read here.
The report identifies the following mental wellbeing principles for the legal profession:
This Guide addresses privacy/data protection planning, functionality and management of a legal practice in Africa. The guide will provide lawyers in Africa with sustainable, practical and easy to implement data protection controls/protocols. It has been developed drawing from the basic principles contained in the various laws and frameworks on the continent of Africa as well as global trends such as the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) of Europe and other associated international best practices.
This article is an update on the regulation of the legal practice in Ethiopia. It briefly covers the historical development and focusses on the current system while presenting and reflecting on the new law opening the door for the establishment of Limited Liability Partnerships in Ethiopia.
Released on Dec 21, 2022
Earlier this year, the Cour de Cassation handed down Belokon v Kyrgyzstan (Cass. Civ. 1st, 23 mars 2022, n° 17-17.981). The Court’s decision appears to indicate that French courts are prepared to take a more interventionalist role in setting aside arbitral awards, where public policy concerns are raised. An interesting comparison can be made with the position in Mauritius following Betamax Ltd v State Trading Corporation [2021] UKPC 14.
Released on Dec 21, 2022
Football 256 purported to carry out an awards ceremony via their social media channels – ‘Football 256 Best of the Season Awards’ – for the recently concluded 2020-2021 StarTimes Uganda Premier League. In response, the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) threatened legal action against Football 256, the football clubs, club officials and players.
Released on Jun 07, 2022
The idea of African group claims against UK-based corporates that have been brought to the English courts is not entirely new, but has seen a spate of claims in the last five years or so, suggesting that it is a trend that may be accelerating.
Released on Feb 25, 2022
The African Regional Forum also coordinates the activities of the following subcommittees/working groups.
If you are a member of the African Regional Forum, for additional networking opportunities, programs, interviews with fellow members and tips all exclusive to members, join our LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9296191/.