Historically, international counterparties entering commercial contracts in West Africa routinely insisted on off-shore arbitral seats such as London, Paris, or Singapore; citing concerns over enforcement delays, procedural rigidity, and judicial intervention under Nigeria’s legacy Arbitration and Conciliation Act (ACA) 1988.
The enactment of the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023 (AMA) fundamentally reshapes West Africa’s dispute resolution landscape. By modernizing the statutory architecture, aligning domestic law with the UNCITRAL Model Law revisions, and introducing global innovations, the AMA establishes Nigeria as a competitive, pro-arbitration seat for cross-border commercial transactions, infrastructure projects, and energy investments.