Nkafu Arbitration Services (NAS) is a consultancy that provides those doing business in Africa with a portal through which all arbitration-related needs can be serviced. We are intentionally focussed only on the arbitration market and are experts in what we do. Dispute advisory services are not a commodity: in a dispute scenario the stakes require experts that are dedicated and specialists in their field. This is what NAS provides and it does so for the African markets.
NAS partners with carefully selected legal practitioner consultants that all share the same value: passionately delivering dedicated and bespoke advisory services across the African markets. Long-standing relationships exist with all of those named below and NAS can personally attest to the exceptional quality and levels of service that each provide. NAS only works with these legal consultants where the case requires and only as is appropriate. As a consultancy, NAS does not provide legal advice, but advises on strategic and commercial issues and, importantly, manages the engagement of its legal consultants for you whenever that is required.
The following persons are neither employed by NAS nor are they in any form of partnership, joint venture or contractual relationship with NAS. They are all independent consultants and any client would engage with each of our consultants separately, albeit that NAS would, of course, oversee and assist with that process.
NAS is always interested to discussing with people who shares similar values and is interested in becoming a consultant with us by email at julius@nas-africa.com.
Julius Nkafu, FCIArb
Founder
Mr Julius Nkafu FCIArb
Barrister, Arbitrator, and Mediator
Call: 2014 (E&W) 2006 (Cameroon)
Julius has a rich educational background, obtaining his first law degree from the University of Yaoundé́ in Cameroon. He furthered his legal education with a CPE and an LLM in International Business Law in London. Additionally, he holds Post Graduate Certificates in Transnational Oil & Gas and Education from London institutions.
He practised as a solicitor of the Suprem Court of England and Wales for over 10 years before joining the Bar.
With a focus on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Julius has garnered extensive expertise in arbitration and mediation, particularly in international contexts. He is a recognised expert in International Arbitration, a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London and serves as a Course Director, delivering lectures and assessments on International Arbitration. He has an extensive knowledge of laws and rules in arbitration in both institutional and ad-hoc settings. He is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Arbitration Court.
Julius's legal practice covers a wide array of areas, including energy, oil and gas, maritime, International Trade, commercial, civil and corporate agreements.
He is adept at handling disputes related to Business Email Compromise (BEC), offering advice to clients affected by such fraudulent activities. Further, Julius has a profound understanding of International Administrative Law, providing advisory services to individuals and entities on compliance with regulations of international development organisations.
In addition to his legal practice, Julius is actively engaged in civic and international activities. He has served as an elected member and chaired various committees in a local authority in London. His international involvement includes acting as an observer in general elections in Zambia, Sierra Leone, Macedonia, and Georgia, where he assessed compliance with electoral laws and procedures as part of a team.
He represents clients in courts and tribunals.
He is a Direct Access Barrister and Authorised to conduct litigation.
Languages include English and French.
Julius is a member of several professional organisations, including:
* Member of the Honourable society of the inner temple
* Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Fellow), where he serves as a Course Director.
* Member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Court of Arbitration.
* Association for the Promotion of Arbitration in Africa (APAA)
* The Commercial Bar Association – Combar - England and Wales
* London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA) (Support Member)
* Bar Pro-bono Unit
* Chair, Arbitration and ADR Committee of the African Bar Association.
* Member of the Board of Directors of AfAA (African Arbitration Association)
* Member of the Worshipful company of arbitrators, United Kingdom
* Member of the Sanctions Appeals Board (SAB) of the African Development Bank Group.
Gaston Kenfack Douajni
Gaston is a Cameroonian Magistrate, currently the Director of Legislation at the Ministry of Justice in Cameroon ; he has obtained a Doctorate of International Economic Law at the University of Paris I (Pantheon Sorbonne) in 2005, a Certificate on trade, negotiations and settlement of trade disputes at the Kennedy School of Government –Harvard University (USA) in 2004 and an Habilitation to Direct Researches at the University of Pau in France. He is the Editor of the “Revue Camerounaise de l’Arbitrage”, the President of the Association for the Promotion of Arbitration in Africa (APAA),registered on the list of arbitrators and conciliators at ICSID, at the OHADA Commun Court of Justice and Arbitration and Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).
In addition, Gaston KENFACK DOUAJNI is a member of the Board of Directors of the Cairo Regional Center for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA) and of the International Federation of Arbitration Centers and Associations (IFCAI).
President of the 49th Session of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), he teaches business law at various universities (in Africa and Europe) and has recently been promoted as the Chair of the Management Board of the African Legal Support Facility (ALSF).
Alun Jones, KC
Alun Jones QC is a specialist in extradition, mutual legal assistance, international crime, financial crime, crime, judicial review, asset confiscation, international arbitration and immunity cases. He has appeared in the higher appellate courts in insolvency, commercial, planning and defamation cases. He spent the first ten years of his career before juries in London learning and developing advocacy skills. In 2005, he founded and became Head of Great James Street Chambers.
Alun has appeared and advised in extradition cases for over 33 years. He has conducted 24 full appeals in extradition cases in the House of Lords, Privy Council and UK Supreme Court, acting in ten of them for foreign governments, appearing as leading counsel in all but the first four of them. This has given him very wide experience before international tribunals. Alun regularly writes and broadcasts on topics of current extradition interest and has lectured in England, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Italy, Jamaica, Ireland, Barbados, St Lucia, and Florida. He is the author of ‘Jones on Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance’ (sweet & Maxwell 2001 and 1995) and co-author of ‘Jones & Doobay on Extradition and Mutual Assistance’ (Sweet & Maxwell 2004; third edition). He has recently advised parliamentarians about reform of extradition law.
Alun has developed a practice judicially reviewing warrants, entries searches and seizures, domestic and in pursuance of overseas letters of request, covert surveillance orders, and other interlocutory aspects of the criminal law.
Alun, over several decades, has advised numerous clients particularly within the energy sector in relation to international arbitration disputes in a multitude of jurisdictions. He has been instructed previously in relation to jurisdictional challenges relating to awards and damages. He advises in detail as to the requirements of data protection law and regulation.
Alun’s full profile can be found at https://greatjames.co.uk/members/alun-jones/
Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo
Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo exerce en tant qu’Avocate au Barreau de paris. Elle a été admise à s’inscrire au Barreau du Cameroun devant lequel elle va incessamment prêter serment. Ses domaines de compétence incluent le droit commercial international, notamment le droit de l’arbitrage international, le droit des contrats, le droit commercial, les procédures de recouvrement et les voies d’exécution.
Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo est titulaire d’un Doctorat en droit privé de l’Université de Picardie Jules. Sa thèse sur L’exécution des sentences arbitrales : étude comparées des dispositifs d’exécution du CIRDI et de la CCJA, a reçu le prix de la meilleure thèse en droit des affaires et communautaire ERSUMA 2015. Elle est également titulaire d’un Certificat en médiation, négociation et gestion de litiges de la Negotiation Academy (NA) de Vienne en Autriche, d’un certificat en droit du commerce international du Centre de formation de l’Organisation mondiale du Travail(ITCLO), Université de Turin et Institut d’Etudes Européennes (IUSE) et d’un DEA en droit privé de l’Université de Yaoundé II.
Elle intervient pour une clientèle de particuliers et d’entreprises qu’elle accompagne dans la phase précontentieuse de gestion de leurs litiges. Elle conseille et représente ses clients dans les procédures de règlement de leurs différends, arbitrages commerciaux ou d’investissement, médiation commerciale ou d’investissement. Elle collabore avec des cabinets à Paris, Londres et en Afrique.
Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo est arbitre CCI. Elle a été récemment nommée dans un arbitrage CCI complexe relatif à un marché de gré à gré opposant deux entreprises étrangères à un Etat. Elle fait également partie du panel d’arbitres de la Cour Commune de Justice et d’Arbitrage (CCJA-OHADA) et du Centre Régional d’Arbitrage Commercial international du Caire (CRCICA)
Représentante en Europe de l’Association pour la Promotion de l’Arbitrage en Afrique(APAA), Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo participe pour le compte de celle ci, aux sessions des Groupes de travail II et III de la Commission des Nations Unies pour le Droit Commercial International (CNUDCI). Madame Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo assure également, en qualité de chargée de recherche, le suivi des publications menées par l’APAA en l’occurrence, la Revue Camerounaise de l’Arbitrage ou les ouvrages issus des colloques organisés par l’Association.
Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo fait partie du Equal Representation in Arbitration (ERA) Pledge Africa sub committee et de l’International Bar Association (IBA) Africa Arbitration Network. Elle est également Membre d’AfricArb, une Association de jeunes professionnels qui partagent un intérêt pour l’Arbitrage et l’Afrique.
Ses langues de travail sont le français et l’anglais. Elle a de bonnes connaissances en Italien et en Espagnol.
Professor Ike Ehiribe FCIArb, C.Arb, FAiDR, QDR.
Barrister, Chartered Arbitrator & Accredited Mediator
Ike was called to the Nigerian Bar (1982) and to the Bar of England and Wales (1996) by the Honorable Society of Lincoln’s Inn. He is a Fellow (1994) of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London and also a Chartered Arbitrator (2007). He has been an accredited mediator of the Academy of Experts in Gray’s Inn, London since 1998. He is an international arbitrator and dispute resolver practising out of 7 Stones Commercial & IP Chambers in London U.K. He specializes in the resolution of a broad spectrum of International Trade, Investment, Commercial, and Intellectual Property disputes including Entertainment, Sports and Art. He is listed as one of the Arbitrators on the Arbitrator’s Panel of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland; The Court of Arbitration for Art in the Netherlands; and the United Nations backed World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Panel of Neutrals in Geneva.
He is a Visiting Professor and Fellow at the Centre for International Legal Studies (CILS) in Salzburg; a Professor of Law at the School of Law, Christchurch Canterbury University. England. He also teaches International Commercial Arbitration and Investment Treaty Arbitration at the University of Bedfordshire in the UK and is a member of the Investment Treaty Forum in London. He is an approved tutor, trainer and assessor on the arbitration, adjudication and mediation training courses of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London.