Kemisola Oye
THE Managing Partner of Famsville Solicitors, Mr Dayo Adu, has urged legal practitioners to strengthen partnerships to improve access to justice for businesses across Africa.
He stressed the importance of legal practice to be strengthened to promote business activities in Africa.
Adu spoke at the African Corporate and Government Counsel Forum (ACGC), an end-of-year networking event, tagged ‘Celebrate, Connect, Community’, held in Lagos and organised by Famsville Solicitors.
The firm’s areas of expertise include business immigration; environmental and social governance; company secretariat and regulatory compliance; corporate and commercial transaction; dispute resolution; employment, labour and industrial law; training consult; intellectual property; and Internet and technology arbitration; and Alternative Dispute Resolution, among others.
The event was well-attended by top corporate governance leaders, legal practitioners, and policymakers, emphasizing the role of collaboration in fostering a fair and enabling environment for business growth on the continent.
Highlighting the unique challenges faced by businesses in Africa, Adu noted the various legal barriers including inadequate access to dispute resolution mechanisms and limited understanding of regulatory frameworks, as critical issues facing the profession.
He said, “Access to justice is not just a social imperative, but an economic one. Without it, businesses cannot thrive, and economies cannot grow.”
He, therefore, proposed a multi-stakeholder approach, urging law firms, corporate counsel, governments, and international organisations to work together to enhance legal awareness by developing training programmes and resources for businesses to understand and navigate legal complexities.
“To strengthen dispute resolution mechanisms to promote the establishment of affordable and efficient arbitration and mediation platforms as well as advocates for legal reform by partnering with policymakers to address systemic issues, streamline processes, and create business-friendly legal environments. “
He posited that the ACGC remains a vital platform for legal and corporate leaders to explore innovative solutions to challenges faced by African businesses.
The managing partner reaffirmed the critical role of partnerships in achieving equitable access to justice and fostering sustainable economic development across the continent.
Adu, who is also the Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee, Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL), underscored the importance of leveraging technology to bridge gaps in legal services, such as deploying digital tools for contract management and access to legal advice.
Some of the participants lauded the managing partner’s vision and echoed the call for action to boost the fortunes of Africa.
The participants expressed optimism that with effective partnerships and collaborations, the continent would continue to wax stronger in the area of commercial law practice.
The respondents include the ACGC Co-Founder, Nankunda Katangaza and Temitope Sowunmi of Famsville, “this is a wake-up call for all of us in the legal community. By working together, we can break down the barriers that hinder Africa’s economic potential”, Sowunmi stated.
ACGC creates connections for members within and across jurisdictions, industries, and sectors both in Africa and beyond to share good practices and promote a culture of innovation among its members.
The group, therefore, recognises the evolution that has occurred in relation to in-house roles across the continent and aims to ensure that lawyers working in African corporate and government departments have meaningful opportunities to learn, discuss and debate what the future holds and how they can contribute meaningfully to the growth of their companies and governments, their own personal development and that of the legal profession as a whole.
Eighteen-Eleven Media