Mediation awareness to resolve disputes in African telecom industry

In Douala, Cameroon, last month the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) and CEDR (the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution), Europe’s largest dispute resolution body, delivered a three-day Conference on Alternative Dispute Resolution to 32 lawyers and barristers, representing eight African countries from the Telecommunications sector. The African telecommunications market is going through a phase of liberalisation, where new players are emerging and technological advances are forcing changes in the industry. Countries such as Cameroon and South Africa, which is preparing for the next World Cup’s football technologies, are racing to catch up with world’s best practice. From customer complaints over corporate billing, to the laborious process of software upgrades, to equipment supplier legal wrangles, and to disputes with regulators – the telecommunications industry in Africa can face conflict from many directions. Through activities, such as the conference, the CTO is assisting African countries to develop ways of managing disputes in a cost and time effective manner; minimising the potential damage to relationships. At the conference CEDR provided the delegates with an overview of modern dispute resolution methods and an interactive learning experience centred on mediation. Lasantha De Alwis, Secretary, of the CTO commented, “The challenge facing the African Telecom’s Sector is to maintain a vigorous and sustained growth to enable it to catch up to, and ultimately remove, the digital divide which affects it. Disputes in the communications business are unavoidable but we believe that through better resolution of conflict this momentum in the sector can be preserved and enhanced.” Danny McFadden, Director, CEDR, who delivered the workshop in Douala said, “Mediation, by giving the parties of a dispute control of the outcome, can make a difference wherever it is used. This is particularly true for communications in Africa, where the confidence of its stakeholders – the shareholders, suppliers, customers and government – can make all the difference its sustained success. CEDR hopes that this is the beginning of a new chapter for this vital sector.” SOURCE: Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation

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