BY: Sandra Ani
Due to congestion in the court system, rising costs of litigation, and delays which continue to plague litigants, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) has become more imperative.
The term Alternative Dispute Resolution is used generally to describe the different methods and procedures used in resolving dispute either as alternatives to the traditional dispute resolution mechanism of the court system or in some cases supplementary to such mechanisms.
ADR can also be described as other methods of settling issues without having a resort to the law courts.
The threat that unresolved conflicts pose to businesses and the economic growth is inextricable to the importance of ADR awareness in Nigeria, because conflict unresolved has been identified as one of the most significant threats to sustainable development.
It is at the backdrop of this that the Nigeria Association for Franchise Business Members (NAFBM), whose roles include; cooperating with government regulatory agencies to encourage conducive policies & interventions, and also to educate and cultivate ethical conduct in all transactions between franchise business actors, is hosting ADR Awareness event for SME’s and franchise business across Nigeria.
The event will be delivered in collaboration with Africa Franchise Institute (AFI), Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre (LAICIAC), Franchise Business Development Services (FBDS), Jackson Etti & Edu Law Firm, and GIZ NICOP.
Speaking on the event, the President of Nigeria Association of Franchise Business Members, Chiagozie Nwizu, said, they will focus on educating and exposing participants to the different methods available to them for sorting conflict in a timely manner.
“It will address the current state of conflict resolution in Nigeria and how businesses can get timely results regarding matters and issues that they have not been able to present or have presented but are unable to progress due to the tedious processes involved in resolving such issues through the court.
“The other focus areas of the ADR event are: Education & awareness of participants as to how complaints can be processed and resolved more quickly and resolved earlier; saving time and costs of attorneys and other parties involved in cases granted in court; role of early neutral evaluation and the role of fact-finding experts in conflicts; how creative solutions acceptable to all parties involved in the conflict can be attained; how to set-up a functional ADR system in in business contracts etc”.
The event will feature three key sessions: A Conference Session, where a white paper will be presented to educate on use of ADR for a fair and quick dispute resolution, and intellectual property issues in commercial transactions; A Panel Discussion by leading stakeholders who will have an interactive session with all participants; and A Break-out workshop session where entrepreneurs will be trained and issued certificates on key topics.
The training topics will cover – Business scaling and expansion through franchising; Access to low-interest funding for business growth; and Practical business dispute challenges and resolution approaches.
“The event is accessible to all entrepreneurs, professionals, and franchise business owners, policy makers, enterprise services providers and regulators.
The ADR Awareness will be held at the Lagos Court of Arbitration, Idowu Taylor, Victoria Island on Friday 17th of May 2019”, he said.