Pepperdine Hosts Second Annual Africa Chief Justices’ Summit and International Commercial Arbitration Study Tour

From Sunday, October 26, to Friday, October 31, 2025, Pepperdine’s Sudreau Global Justice Institute and Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution hosted the second annual Africa Chief Justices’ Summit and International Commercial Arbitration Study Tour at the University’s Château d’Hauteville in Blonay - Saint-Légier, Switzerland. 

Danny DeWalt at Africa Summit

The summit brought together leaders from 13 judiciaries across the African continent for a week-long program, which gave participants the opportunity to earn either a certificate or academic credit toward a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Commercial Arbitration. Simultaneously, the event provided the highest level of judicial leaders an opportunity to examine the legal, regulatory, and administrative frameworks that govern alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in Africa.

For the Honorable Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo of Uganda, the summit offered solutions to core problems within Africa’s justice system. He explained that many African countries developed practices based on European legal systems—British, Portuguese, and French—that rely heavily on adversarial litigation. However, this model doesn’t always work well for African communities, where many disputes are resolved informally, outside the courts, through traditional practices that emphasize dialogue, reconciliation, and community involvement. ADR practices are much more culturally compatible with African legal norms and allow for solutions to be found based on cooperation, participation, and harmony rather than confrontation.

“My belief in the future of the ADR forum is significant. It started small, but in half a decade—in one decade—it is a wind that will be blowing throughout Africa,” shared Owiny-Dollo. “I am steadfast in my belief in the power of ADR practices because they are what delivers true and meaningful justice.”

Participants gathering in breakout groups

The International Commercial Arbitration Study Tour included sessions led by Pepperdine Caruso School of Law professors Jack Coe, director of the LLM concentration in international commercial arbitration; Donald "Trey" Childress, a specialist in civil procedure and ethics; and Catherine Rogers, a scholar of international arbitration and professional ethics. The academic sessions culminated in a simulated international commercial arbitration proceeding that involved all participants. Attendees were eager to collaborate and learn alongside their counterparts from Pepperdine faculty about the implementation of world-class international commercial arbitration—a process of resolving disputes between parties in different countries through an arbitrator or a panel of arbitrators—within their own national contexts. The study tour also included visits to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the Olympic Museum, and the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Building on the success of last year’s convening of the Africa Chief Justices’ ADR Forum, which was also hosted at the Château d’Hauteville by the Sudreau Global Justice Institute, this year’s summit centered on international commercial arbitration, which aligned closely with the course content and served as a tool for furthering each country’s ADR efforts. In addition to the International Commercial Arbitration theme, the summit also provided an opportunity for the Africa Chief Justices’ ADR Forum to convene on broader ADR initiatives. The Sudreau Global Justice Institute provided a report to the Forum members on its collaborative achievements in the ADR sphere with each of the countries in attendance. These achievements included on-ground training conferences on ADR topics such as plea bargaining and commercial mediation with a total of eight countries. The Forum participants used their time together to reflect on the last year and also recommit themselves and their jurisdictions for continued furtherance of ADR initiatives in both the civil and criminal sectors of their justice systems.

Participants receiving certificates

Danny DeWalt, Senior Vice President of Global Impact and Chief of Staff of Pepperdine, explained, “The goal is to partner with [African leaders] to implement these principles within their judiciaries in order to address some of their chronic challenges—such as case backlogs that delay justice. They are really working together to bring these reforms across the continent of Africa, and we’ve been blessed to be invited to partner with them in that effort.”

The Honorable President of the East Africa Court of Justice Nestor Kayobera believes these gatherings are important because they bring together high-ranking judicial leaders that have the authority to make change for the greater good. He emphasized that sharing practices with one another contributes to stability, whether it be political, economic, or trade; these gatherings will help improve the lives of the people the justices are representing.

“Our job is the same: we are making sure that there is justice between our countries, justice for our people, and justice also within our continent,” says Kayobera.

For more information and details on upcoming events, visit the Sudreau Global Justice Institute website.