Strengthening Capacity for Dispute Resolution Across Francophone Africa
2023 Mediator Workshop Harnesses Expertise of African Mediators for Impact
CAO hosted a three-day workshop for mediators from across Francophone Africa from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, 2023, in Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire. The workshop, which was organized in collaboration with the Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) of the African Development Bank and European Investment Bank, brought together 17 experienced mediators to collaborate, brainstorm, and develop tactics and tools for effective company-community dispute resolution.
The goal of the workshop was to gather, hone, and build talent from across the continent, geared towards dispute resolution between local communities and private sector companies.
Participants were exposed to how independent accountability mechanisms work, effective approaches to handling complaints, and case assessments, and how to build the capacity of parties in a dispute by supporting parties to:
- Establish ground rules for a productive dialogue process
- Identify core issues and prioritize how to address them
- Generate options and brainstorm tactics to manage deadlock
- Draft workable agreements that are practical to implement
- Monitor agreements through party-sensitive processes
The interactive workshop featured simulated dispute resolution sessions, role-playing techniques, and knowledge sharing activities.
This initiative is part of CAO’s ongoing efforts to grow its network of regional mediators and build capacity for dispute resolution in the context of development projects.
Learn more about our dispute resolution process here.
