VICE President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo,SAN, and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmoud Mohammed are among the dignitaries that will speak at this year’s Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Section on Business Law, SBL,10th annual conference, holding in Abuja, between June 22-24. Osinbajo This year’s conference with the theme “Law and Economic Reform” will feature three sections where different topics will be discussed. SBL chairman, Mr Asue Ighodalo, said the topics for this year’s conference will be intellectually stimulating, adding that the NBA President, Mr Augustine Alegeh, SAN is being carried along with the planning.

According to the chairman, Conference Planning Committee, Dr Tunde Ajibade, SAN, the Vice President will speak on the topic”Africa Rising-Managing Africa’s Economies for the Benefit of its peoples” at the opening ceremony which will hold at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja. Other confirmed attendees include, the Minister of Solid Minerals; Minister for Power, works and Housing, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, respectively and Dr. Lanre Babalola who will all be chairing and speaking at various sessions.

The conference planning committee chairman explained that the sessions at this year’s conference will focus on laws that directly impact on businesses in Nigeria–with a view to critically examining how certain laws could impede businesses and become disincentives to economic development and how to get better laws for positive growth.

This he said will afford the participants to look forward to a number of the key sessions at the conference which include: Law reform and economic development, where questions on whether there is a nexus between Law Reform and Economic Development will be discussed. Another topic for discussion, Managing Nigeria’s economy will enable participants to explore issues surrounding the economic management of the country and the autonomy of the CBN. The topical issues around this subject will be discussed to shed light on practice and examine where reforms are needed.

Other topics include vehicle for doing business, which will answer the question whether Company and Allied Matters Act, CAMA is fit for a modern growing economy? The session will also examine the Companies and Allied Matters Act and whether its provisions are adequate for a modern economy and if it serves as an aid or impediment to economic development in Nigeria. Its weaknesses will be identified and needed reforms will be proffered. Also, the event will treat the topic-Future prospects for the oil industry as well as examining how to resolve dispute through Arbitration and conciliation. It will answer the question whether the Arbitration and Conciliation Act still suitable for its purpose and whether there should be an alternative enforcement mechanism to resolve post-award delay.

Commercial agriculture

Other topic listed include reforming the law to promote commercial agriculture in Nigeria. It will enable participants to examine what is required for the development of commercial agriculture and discuss the importance of the Land Use Act, (LUA) and other laws as an impediment. The session will also provide answer to why has Nigeria’s solid mineral resources not been a source of economic development. This session will deal with the expectations that have been built up around Nigeria’s acclaimed rich endowment in solid minerals and explore the reasons why this resource has not been optimally exploited as well as examine the reforms required to make this happen. It will also review the progress of the power sector reform initiatives in Nigeria thus far and its relationship with economic development under the topic-Power sector reform and economic development.

Lastly, the session will deal on the vision for Nigeria’s infrastructure development challenges faced by Nigeria and other developing African countries in bridging the infrastructure gap and leap frogging into the 21st Century will be discussed. The NBA Section on Business Law (SBL) is the special arm of the Nigerian Bar Association, which engenders the development of commercial law and specialised commercial law practice in Nigeria.

Click here to read from source.