MLS, 10 Sadc law societies sign charter
Malawi Law Society (MLS) and 10 other law societies from Southern African Development Community (Sadc) have signed an alliance charter with the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (Afsa) Sadc Division.
The charter seeks to facilitate the establishment of a regional seat of International Arbitration.
MLS president Patrick Mpaka said yesterday in an interview that the charter is part of the joint effort of the society and Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) to set up the Malawi International Arbitration Centre (Miac).
“The signing of the charter here in South Africa will give impetus to the efforts by MLS and MCCCI to operationalise the centre,” he said.
According to Mpaka, the centre is currently working towards making Miac operational to open its doors and administer commercial and investment arbitrations.
MLS and MCCCI with their collaborating partners within the Sadc region are at an advanced stage of establishing the centre and a company, Commercial Arbitration Centre Limited, already registered.
The signing of the charter took place on Wednesday during the Johannesburg Arbitration Week (JAW) held at Sandton Convention Centre in South Africa.
The setting up of Miac, according to Mpaka, enhances economic justice delivery by alleviating the country’s commercial courts of the pressures of commercial litigation in matters that qualify and can be dealt with at an institutionalised and internationally recognized centre for resolving international investment and commercial disputes.
“The political and legal environment makes Malawi a suitable destination for investment,” he said.
MCCCI president Lekani Katandula, who is one of the directors of Commercial Arbitration Centre Limited, also said the signing of the charter marked a breakthrough towards having the centre in place.
He said: “This is a great milestone that energises our efforts to set up this centre and give our business community confidence that this will be a reliable dispute resolution option that is recognised internationally.”
The purpose of the alliance charter is to establish a member network of institutions committed to excellence in provision of best process for private dispute resolution at domestic and regional levels in Southern Africa and internationally.
It also defines the framework within which collaborative activities will be undertaken between the Afsa Sadc Division, the Bar Associations of Southern Africa and other alliance partners as may be agreed.
