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In an initiative to promote diversity in the American arbitration space, Simpson Dispute Resolution in collaboration with Thevenin Arbitration & ADR have created a list of arbitration professionals of African descent.

Listed names were urged to  promote diversity by circulating the list as widely as possible, and referring to the list when nominating counsel, arbitrators or chairs of arbitral panels in cases in which they are involved. 

Each individual on the list had been recommended for inclusion based on having international dispute resolution practice and/or are listed on the panels of several arbitral institutions. The respective individuals have been recognized for their dispute resolution experience in various jurisdictions including the United States.

Although focused mainly on practitioners located within the United States of America, a few Africans, including Funke Adekoya SAN, a partner and head of the Arbitration practice at ǼLEX, a Lagos Nigeria based law firm with offices in Accra, Ghana have been included in the list as arbitration professionals of African descent. She is often appointed as arbitrator in international commercial and investment disputes.

Funke Adekoya is a founding member of the African Arbitration Association, a past Council member of the African Users Council of the LCIA as well as a Governing Board member and past Vice President of both the International Council of Commercial Arbitration (“ICCA”) and the ICC Court of Arbitration, and she is currently a member of the ICC Africa Commission. She sits on the board of MARC - the Alternative Dispute Resolution arm of the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry (“MCCI”), is a member – Panel of Arbitrators of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (“CIETAC”), the Kigali International Arbitration Centre and the Lagos Court of Arbitration. She is ranked in Chambers Global and in Who’s Who Legal Arbitration, is listed on the Chairman’s Panel of Arbitrators at ICSID and is a member of the World Bank Sanctions Board.

With expertise in international arbitration ranging from the labor and employment to tax and finance, the list is a reminder of the wealth of experience arbitrators and arbitration counsel from Africa bring to international dispute resolution.