On July 23, the International Chamber of Commerce’s Alternative Dispute Resolution/Young Arbitrators and Young Professionals Forum (ICC YAAF) announced the names of its new regional representatives. Elected for a two-year term, the representatives will be responsible for promoting and developing this dynamic global network.
Current ICC YAAF representatives include 55 women and 46 men, based in 82 cities in 65 countries. This year, 10 countries and 3 cities are represented for the first time: Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Honduras, Kuwait, Mongolia, Paraguay, Serbia, Slovakia and Tunisia. In addition, the cities of Detroit, Florence and Zurich now have representatives on site.
Open to young dispute resolution professionals aged 40 and under, ICC YAAF offers them the opportunity to gain knowledge, develop skills, network and better understand ICC’s dispute resolution services. It is recognized as the largest association of its kind. Through panels, workshops and networking events, ICC YAAF members can connect with a global network of over 39,000 practitioners in seven regional chapters.
ICC YAAF representatives will play a key role in expanding the network in their respective countries and neighboring regions, in addition to playing an active role in coordinating the forum’s flagship event, the 9th ICC YAAF World Conference, to be held in New York on September 27, 2024.
Below are the names of the new ICC YAAF Africa Chapter representatives:
Diamana Diawara (Mali/France), President of the Africa Chapter
Lawyer, teacher and lecturer, Diamana Diawara has been the Africa Director for Arbitration and ADR in the Dispute Resolution Department of the International Court of Commerce (ICC) since January 2021. In this position, she works in partnership with the ICC Africa Commission, created in 2018, and the ICC Africa Action Network, which brings together the leaders of ICC national committees and chambers of commerce to support the private sector in Africa, digitize and strengthen the resilience of micro and small businesses in the region and enable the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Before being promoted to Africa Director in May 2021, Diamana Diawara spent 8 years as Counsel at the ICC International Court of Arbitration, in charge of the France/Middle East/Africa team. She began her career in 2012 as Deputy Counsel at the ICC Court. In this position, she developed expertise in international arbitration under the ICC Rules and a real understanding of commercial and investment disputes in these regions. She was also a key contact for the parties and arbitrators involved in her team’s cases.
Diamana Diawa trained in the international arbitration department of Dentons in Paris. She holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from Golden Gate University , San Francisco, USA and a Master 2 in International Commercial Law from the University of Paris Ouest Nanterre-La Défense , France, where she is also a lecturer in International Commercial Arbitration Practice in the Master 2 in International Commercial Law.
Benjamin Ng’eno (Kenya)
Benjamin Ng’eno is a partner at LA LIVE in London, specializing in international commercial arbitration, investor-state arbitration and public international law. He advises and represents clients in disputes concerning various sectors, including the international sale of goods, energy, construction and infrastructure projects.
Benjamin Ng’eno has experience under various institutional arbitration rules, as well as in court proceedings in common law jurisdictions.
Prior to joining LA LIVE in London, Benjamin Ng’eno worked at Kaplan & Stratton Advocates, one of East Africa’s leading law firms, as a partner in the dispute resolution department. In this capacity, he acted as counsel in a number of high-profile commercial and arbitration disputes in various sectors, including energy and construction.
Benjamin Ng’eno holds a law degree (LL.B) from the University of Nairobi, and has completed an LL.M. in International Dispute Resolution (MIDS) at the University of Geneva.
His areas of interest are international commercial arbitration and investment treaty arbitration, as well as WTO dispute settlement.
Victoria Nalule (Uganda)
Founder and Managing Director of Nalule Energy and Minerals Consultants (NEM Energy), Victoria Nalule is a lawyer specializing in energy and mining arbitration and dispute resolution. In this context, she has worked on various projects in different parts of the world in the oil, gas, extractive industries (mining) and energy transition sectors for various regional and international institutions and organizations, including the African Union and the African Development Bank.
From 2022 to 2023, Victoria Nalule was appointed team leader and lead researcher for the Global Study on Oil and Gas Contract Transparency and Energy Transition (2022-2023). The study was carried out by Nalule Energy and Minerals Consultants (NEM Energy) at the request of the international secretariat of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), with support from USAID. The study assesses how contractual arrangements respond to or reflect energy transition scenarios, and highlights areas for inclusion or strengthening that will benefit all stakeholders in the energy sector.
An arbitrator at the Energy Disputes Arbitration Center (EDAC) in Turkey, Victoria Nalule is also a member of the Executive Committee of the International Law Association (ILA). She has also worked with the private and public legal sectors in Uganda, notably with Kakuru & Co. Advocates and the Ugandan Anti-Corruption Court.
With a PhD in International Energy Law and Policy from the University of Dundee, UK, Victoria Nalule completed her PhD in less than three years, before the age of 30. She is a lecturer in energy and natural resources law at the University of Bradford, UK. She also lectures on oil and gas, climate change and energy transitions in Uganda, Burundi, Sierra Leone and other countries that have partnered with NEM Energy.
In addition, Victoria Nalule is the author of eight books and has published numerous articles on topics related to oil, gas, renewable energy transition, climate change, mining and international arbitration.
In addition, she has advised governments on climate change, energy and mining projects, including as an expert witness before the Commission of Inquiry into Land Matters in Uganda; commenting on the South African Petroleum Bill before the country’s policymakers; leading a team of energy experts in the review of energy and mining laws and policies for countries such as Namibia, Ethiopia and Uganda; training experts from the Nigerian oil company, to name but a few.
Victoria Nalule has an active YouTube channel and podcast, both focused on energy and mining discussions.
Lionel Kabeya (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Lawyer, legal and business consultant, arbitrator and mediator, Lionel Kabeya is an arbitrator at the Centre National d’Arbitrage, de Conciliation et de Médiation (CENACOM) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lee CENACOM is an institution set up to improve the business climate in the DRC through greater availability of alternative mechanisms for settling commercial disputes.
Lionel Kabeya is also in charge of communications for the Fédération des Entreprises du Congo, the Congolese employers’ association.
From 2015 to 2020, he also served as legal counsel (Avocat) to the corps of judicial defenders attached to the courts in the cities of Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, specializing in legal assistance and representation, litigation management, as well as support in extrajudicial legal acts.
Lionel Kabeya holds a degree in private and judicial law from the University of Lubumbashi. He has also completed an online executive training course at HEC Paris and a business leadership course at Lehigh University (USA), as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
Sarah P. Samaké (Ivory Coast)
Sarah P. Samaké is a lawyer and arbitrator with Dogué-Abbé Yao & Associés, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Holder of a Master II in fundamental private law from the Université Félix Houphoüet-Boigny, Abidjan, Sarah Samaké is currently a doctoral student in international private and digital law at the Université Cheick Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal.
During her Master II, she specialized in private international law, focusing on the settlement of international contract disputes by alternative dispute resolution, in particular arbitration. In this context, she defended her Master’s thesis based on a study entitled “OHADA arbitration in the face of immunity from execution of public persons”.
In parallel with her doctoral studies, Sarah Samaké works as a lawyer, mainly on arbitration assignments.
Faisal Gbadegbe (Ghana)
Currently a partner at Kulendi Law in Accra, Ghana, Faisal Gbadegbe is a trade and investment lawyer with a particular interest in the African Union’s Agenda 2063, with light trade regulations coupled with lucrative investment opportunities for the whole world, all governed and protected by a legal system that can ensure the free flow of trade and foreign direct investment (FDI).
At his current door, Faisal Gbadegbe provides legal advice on real estate matters, including the acquisition of residential and commercial projects, land use issues, high-value land transactions, property development and construction, conveyancing and leasing matters. In addition, he offers legal assistance in family disputes, land disputes, will contests and other inheritance matters. He also represents defendants before the courts and tribunals of Ghana.
A member of the New York Bar since 2021 and of the Ghana Bar since 2017, Faisal Gbadegbe holds a Master of Laws (Business and Commerce) from Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Laws from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Akoth Aluoch (Kenya)
Akoth Aluoch is a senior partner at MG Law Advocates, Nairobi, and an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, specializing in dispute resolution. She represents clients in civil and commercial litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, for both companies and individuals.
In this capacity, W. Akoth Aluoch handles high net worth cases on behalf of financial institutions and other businesses, and has progressively represented major banks in Kenya in various legal actions for claims totalling over 1 billion Kenyan shillings (Ksh).
At MG Law Advocates, she is also currently moderator, coordinator and head of the legal training and awareness team, responsible for organizing and training the firm’s clients in dispute prevention and compliance.
A member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in Kenya, W. Akoth Aluoch works as an arbitrator, certified professional mediator, party representative and tutor/trainer. She has represented clients in a variety of civil and commercial cases before courts and quasi-judicial bodies, and is actively involved in alternative dispute resolution. She is experienced in developing business strategies, and in preparing and drafting pleadings on debt recovery, land disputes, employment claims, estate administration and contractual claims.
Akoth Aluoch also served for a year as legal assistant to Kenya’s Administrative Justice Commission (Office of the Ombudsman). In this position, she worked in the Legal and Advisory Department and was responsible for managing the Commission’s legal office at the Huduma Centre in Kakamega, Kenya. Her responsibilities included receiving, classifying, analyzing, processing and resolving citizens’ complaints; providing sound legal and administrative advice to citizens; and carrying out spot checks on various public offices.
Akoth Aluoch holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, as well as a post-graduate diploma from the Kenya Law School.
Chérine Sophia Ftouki (Algeria)
An international arbitrator specializing in international dispute resolution and public international law, Chérine Sophia Ftouki is an expert in investor-state arbitration, international commercial arbitration, public international law and international energy trade law. She is the founder and senior partner of Almatura & Partners, with offices in Algiers and London.
Chérine Sophia Ftouki holds a Master’s degree in International Law and an LL.M in International Dispute Resolution from King’s College London and Sorbonne-Panthéon Paris I, and is a visiting professor at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, where she taught investor-state dispute resolution.
Before setting up Chérine Sophia Ftouki worked in the arbitration department of a London law firm. She was mainly involved in litigation and arbitration matters in the United States and Latin America, including various disputes linked to global instability, regulatory changes and financial pressures leading to a range of problems for energy projects, oil and gas installations, offshore drilling and shipping transactions.
She then joined the Energy & Infrastructure group of a major global US law firm in the UK, where she focused primarily on advising clients in the Middle East and North Africa region. In this capacity, she worked on several projects related to the construction and shipping sectors in the Middle East, advising various stakeholders including governments, NGOs and corporations.
Absalão Romão Mapanze (Mozambique)
Since 2019, Absalão Romão Mapanze has been a partner at JLA Advogados. He provides legal advice in the fields of administrative law and public procurement, real estate, labor law, banking law and litigation. He is also a specialist in public-private partnership projects and was one of the lawyers advising on the public-private partnership process in Mozambique for the issuance of identification documents to residents and foreigners, travel documents and border traffic control.
Absalão Romão Mapanze also handles disputes between companies, and between companies and individuals arising from breach of contract. In the field of banking regulation and supervision, he has been involved in major cases challenging measures taken by public authorities.
Absalão Romão Mapanze is also regularly involved in administrative law matters, public procurement and pre-contractual and contractual disputes.
A member of the Mozambique Bar, Absalão Romão Mapanze is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique.
Aminatou Akobé (Cameroon)
Aminatou Akobé has been a lawyer with Trialys in Brussels since September 2023, specializing in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, banking and finance, OHADA law and Congolese mining law. Prior to this, Aminatou Akobé was a senior partner and head of the arbitration department at CT-Avocats in Douala, Cameroon.
Aminatou Akobé holds a Master’s degree, with honors, in economic and labor law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium; a university diploma in corporate law and mergers and acquisitions from the Université de Lille; a Master’s degree in international and comparative environmental law from the University of Limoges; a diploma in domestic and international arbitration law from the University of Montpellier (MOOC); and a Master’s degree in international business, trade and tax law from the University of Yaoundé.
Joseph Siyaidon (Nigeria)
Joseph Siyaidon is Managing Partner of Stren & Blan Partners in Lagos, Nigeria, a business law firm providing legal services to a variety of local and multinational companies.
An Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Joseph Siyaidon has extensive experience in arbitration and commercial litigation. He specializes in developing cutting-edge strategies for resolving disputes in the fields of shipping, oil and gas, commercial contracts, construction, corporate, employment, debt recovery, bankruptcy and insolvency, civil fraud and white-collar crime.
As counsel, Joseph Siyaidon has acted in a number of international arbitration and award enforcement proceedings, particularly in the maritime, energy and oil & gas sectors. He is also experienced in advising clients on concession contracts, joint venture agreements, acquisition of maritime assets, due diligence and distressed operations.
Joseph Siyaidon also headed the legal and compliance team at Promax and Complant Holdings Limited, a multinational investment consortium registered with the Dubai International Financial Centre. Prior to joining Promax & Complant Holdings Limited, he worked as a guest counsel in the arbitration group of Al Tamimi & Co in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Joseph Siyaidon holds a law degree from the University of Niger Delta and the Nigerian Law School.
Yayé Diabaté
Based in Paris, Yayé Diabaté has been an associate in international arbitration with the international business law firm “Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer” since September 2021. Specializing in commercial and investment disputes, she advises companies and public entities in international arbitrations governed by the main international arbitration rules, including the rules of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the ICC. Yayé Diabaté specializes in disputes relating to construction, engineering, energy, oil and gas, and public international law. She also advises companies on pre-litigation issues.
Prior to joining Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Yayé Diabaté worked for 4 years as an international arbitration associate (French jurist) at the international law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, including one year as a student lawyer.
Yayé Diabaté holds a Master of Laws in Comparative and International Dispute Resolution from Queen Mary University of London; a Master 2 in Arbitration and International Trade Law from the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines; a Master 1 in General International Law from the University of Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne; and a Law degree, majoring in International Law from the University of Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Yayé Diabaté is General Secretary of the African Academy for the Practice of International Law.
Siobhan Mary Zeiler (South Africa)
A member of the New York State and South African Bars, Siobhan Mary Zeiler is a dispute resolution lawyer specializing in international commercial arbitration, investor-state arbitration and commercial litigation. In this context, she has represented companies and public entities in the oil & gas, energy, construction and banking sectors. In addition, she worked as a research assistant to an arbitrator in a major investor-state arbitration.
Siobhan Mary Zeiler holds a Master of Laws degree from Cornell Law School (USA), where she was awarded a merit-based scholarship. Her Master’s degree focused on international law and arbitration law.
Also at Cornell, Siobhan Mary Zeiler was selected as a fellow for the Salzburg Global Seminar, where she carried out international legal research. She also served as editor of the Cornell International Law Journal and as president of the Alternate Dispute Resolution Society.
Aamara Inegbenoise (Nigeria)
Amara Inegbenoise is the principal lawyer of Noise and Blue , an alternative dispute resolution firm based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She has over 16 years’ experience in ADR, with international and local accreditations in ADR.
A member of the panel of neutrals at the Lagos Court of Arbitration and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators MSME Scheme, she is also Director of Arbitrations at the Intercede Center for Arbitration & Mediation, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Aamara Inegbenoise obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from Rivers State University (RSU), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, in 2006 and was admitted as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2007. She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Petroleum and Environmental Law and a Master of Laws, specialization in Oil and Gas Law and Maritime Law, from the same university, in 2018.
In September 2023, she took part in the prestigious Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ International Commercial Arbitration Course, held at Worcester College, Oxford University (UK).
Aamara Inegbenoise has successfully completed various local and international ADR and conflict management training courses and accreditations, including the world-renowned mediation skills training provided by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR UK). She has frequently acted as sole mediator, co-mediator, sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator and clerk to an arbitral tribunal.
Adam Mokrani (Tunisia/Algeria)
Originally from Tunisia and Algeria, Adam Mokrani is a lawyer specializing in business and natural resources law in the African and Arab regions.
In addition to his legal practice, he works as a consultant on a number of thematic areas: human rights, energy policies, security reform, etc.
A member of the Tunis Bar, Adam Mokrani is a graduate of Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Université de Carthage.
Amine Khaliss (Morocco)
Amine Khaliss is a senior partner at 42 Law, Rabat, Morocco.
