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African Courts, the Settlement of Investment Disputes and the Enforcement of Awards

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2009

Augustus A. Agyemang
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Extract

An indication of the reluctance of some African states to submit to international arbitration when investment disputes arise under investment contracts providing for international arbitration of disputes is to be found in their insistence that such disputes should be settled by their national courts. For instance, Article 35 of the Oil Code of Madagascar provides for the exclusive jurisdiction of the Madagascar Courts in respect of disputes arising under the Code. In the Libyan Nationalisation Cases, Libya was insistent that only its national courts could settle the arbitrations. In the Holiday Inns Arbitration and the case of Société Ltd., Benvenuti & Bonfant, the Moroccan and Congolese Governments respectively contended that only their national courts could settle certain aspects of the investment disputes they were parties to. This article considers the extent to which this insistence is reflected in investment contracts and the suitability of African courts for settling investment disputes and enforcing awards.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of African Law , Volume 33 , Issue 1 , Spring 1989 , pp. 31 - 44
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1989

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References

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