This Project benefits from the insights and active contribution of Africa Construction Law, our partner organisation in this endeavour, led by Ngo-Martins Okonmah, and from the input of a Steering Committee with some of the best practitioners representing all geographies of the African continent. This is a significant and comprehensive empirical study of dispute resolution in Africa in the construction sector. I look forward to continue working with all the team over the next few months on this exciting project.
Professor Renato Nazzini, Director of the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution
18 May 2026
Survey launched on construction disputes in Africa
Africa Construction Law (ACL) and the Centre of Construction Law & Dispute Resolution have launched their new project on Construction Disputes in Africa at the ACL Annual Conference
The conference was held on 11–12 May 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is the premier gathering of construction law and dispute resolution professionals active across the continent.
Africa is home to some of the world's most ambitious and complex construction projects. Construction, in this context, extends well beyond traditional building and civil engineering works. It encompasses the full spectrum of the built environment: the energy systems powering the continent's growth, the natural resources developments driving its economies, and the cross-border infrastructure programmes reshaping its societies. Yet the legal and dispute resolution landscape underpinning this vast and varied activity remains significantly under-researched.
The Construction Disputes in Africa Survey seeks to fill that gap. It invites responses from three categories of participants: organisations that have been party to or otherwise involved in construction projects in Africa; practitioners who have been professionally engaged in the resolution or management of construction disputes on the continent; and dispute resolution institutions that have administered such proceedings.
The survey covers the period from January 2021 to December 2025 and focuses on commercial arbitration as the primary dispute resolution mechanism, while also capturing data on other dispute resolution methods, including negotiation, mediation, adjudication, dispute boards, and court proceedings. Respondents are invited to share their experience of individual disputes as well as their broader experience with the dispute resolution landscape in Africa.
I am proud to co-author a survey that reflects the Centre of Construction Law & Dispute Resolution's long-standing commitment to gathering and disseminating global knowledge on construction dispute resolution. Africa's construction sector is growing faster than existing literature and data capture. This research, in partnership with practitioners, organisations, and institutions on the ground, aims to fill that gap and serve as a resource for everyone working in the field across the continent.
Raquel Macedo Moreira, Research Associate, Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution
The Project is a joint initiative of Africa Construction Law (ACL) and Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, King’s College London, led by Professor Renato Nazzini KC and Ngo-Martins Okonmah, alongside Raquel Macedo Moreira and Asiya Ali.
The members of the Steering Committee are:
- Ademola Bamgbose, Senior Associate, Hogan Lovells (United Kingdom),
- Dr Engy Serag, Executive Director of Contracts and Claims, Orascom Construction Plc (Egypt)
- Ilham Kabbouri (Senior Associate, Vinson & Elkins, UAE)
- Michelle Porter Wright (Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution, Baker McKenzie, South Africa)
- Nagla Nassar (Senior Partner, NassaLaw, Cairo)
- Omonigho Oyoma Brown (Corporate Head of Contract Management, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, Nigeria)
- Paula Ochango (Legal Counsel Africa and Compliance Focal Point Kenya, Mota-Engil, Kenya)
- Primah Atugonza Kyambadde (Principal Legal Counsel and PPP & Infrastructure Sector Lead, The African Legal Support Facility, Côte d'Ivoire)
- Sofia Vale (Independent Arbitrator, Angola).
Participate in the survey
You can respond to the survey online here.
The findings will be published by the Africa Construction Law (ACL) and the Centre of Construction Law & Dispute Resolution at King's College London. Results will be made available at:
For any queries, please contact researchprojects@kcl.ac.uk.
In this story
Director of the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution
Research Associate