Public Output from Research Activity

My research draws from the socio-legal, empirical, doctrinal and comparative schools. This is evident in the types of research projects I work on and my publications.

Research Reports

List of Known Arbitration Institutions in Africa – Updated April 2020

Books:

1. Emilia Onyema (ed) Rethinking the Role of African National Courts in Arbitration, Kluwer Law International, 2018, 417 pages.
2. Emilia Onyema (ed), The Transformation of Arbitration in Africa: The Role of Arbitral Institutions, Kluwer Law International, 2016, 209 pages.
3. Emilia Onyema, International Commercial Arbitration and the Arbitrator’s Contract, Routledge Cavendish, 2010, 257 pages.

Articles in Refereed Journals:

1. “Sub-Saharan African Courts Decisions on the Challenge of arbitrators”, Paris Journal of International Arbitration (Les Cahiers de l’Arbitrage) 2023-2; pages 1-20.
2. “Commercial Disputes under the AfCFTA: the case for regional African arbitral centres”, IBA Arbitration Committee Newsletter special issue on Arbitration in Africa (2021).
3. Emilia Onyema, “African Participation in the ICSID System: Appointment and Disqualification of Arbitrators”, ICSID Review – Foreign Investment Law Journal (2020).
4. “Reimagining the Framework for resolving Intra-African Commercial Disputes in the Context of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement”, World Trade Review (2019), pp 1-25.
5. “Supportive attitude of English courts towards international commercial arbitration” (2019) Journal of Arab Arbitration, Vols 31 & 32, pp 5-11.
6. “Regional Arbitration Institution for ECOWAS: Lessons from OHADA Common Court of Justice and Arbitration” (2014) Int’l ALR Issue 5, pp 99-111.
7. “The Multi-door Court House (MDC) Scheme in Nigeria: a case study of the Lagos MDC”, (2013) vol 7 No 2 Apogee Journal of Business, Property & Constitutional Law, pp 96-129.
8. “The New Ghana ADR Act 2010: A Critical Overview”, (2012) vol 28 no 1, Arbitration International”, pp 101-124.
9. “A critique of the New 2009 Arbitration Law of Lagos State”, (2010) vol 2 no 5, Apogee Journal of Business, Property & Constitutional Law, pp 1-24.
10. ‘Enforcement of Arbitral Awards in Sub-Sahara Africa’, (2010) vol 26 no 1, Arbitration International, pp 115-138 – translated into Chinese for a Chinese Journal in 2010.
11. ‘The doctrine of Separability under Nigerian Law’, (2009) vol 1 no 1, Apogee Journal of Business, Property & Constitutional Law, pp 65-79.
12. ‘Arbitration under the Ohada Regime’, (2008), vol 11 no 6, International Arbitration Law Review, pp 205-218.
13. ‘Empirically Determined Factors in Appointing Arbitrators in International Commercial Arbitration’, (2007) vol 73 no.2, Arbitration 199 – 207.
14. ‘The Role of the International Arbitral tribunal Secretary’, Vindobona Journal, (2005) vol 9 no 1, pp 99-110.
15. ‘Selection of Arbitrators in International Commercial Arbitration’, (2005) vol 8 no 2, International Arbitration Law Review, pp 45-54.
16. ‘Power Shift in International Commercial Arbitration Proceedings’, (2004) vol 14 nos1&2, Caribbean Law Review, pp 62-77.
17. ‘Drafting an Effective Arbitration Agreement in International Commercial Contracts’, (2003) vol 7 no 2, Vindobona Journal, pp 277- 286.
18. ‘The Use of Med-Arb in International Commercial Dispute Resolution’, (2001) vol 12 no 3-4, American Review of International Arbitration, pp 411- 423.

Chapter in Books/collections:

1. Emilia Onyema, “African Practitioners, International Arbitration and Inclusivity” in “Arbitration’s Age of Enlightenment?” in Cavinder Bull SC, Loretta Malintoppi, and Constantine Partasides KC (general editors) “Arbitration’s Age of Enlightenment?”, ICCA Congress Series No 21, 2022 (Kluwer Law International) pp 575-588.
2. Emilia Onyema, “The Concept and Scope of the Arbitrator’s Autonomy”, in Stavros Brekoulakis, Romesh Weeramantry and Lilit Nagapetyan (eds.), Achieving the Arbitration Dream: Liber Amicorum for Professor Julian D.M. Lew, KC, Kluwer law International, 2023; pages 327-333.
3. Emilia Onyema & Isaiah Bozimo, “Nigeria”, in Lise Boseman (ed.,) Arbitration in Africa: a Practitioner’s Guide, 2^nd ed., Kluwer, 2021.
4. Emilia Onyema & Isaiah Bozimo, “International Arbitration in West African States”, in Lise Boseman (ed.,) Arbitration in Africa: a Practitioner’s Guide, 2^nd ed., Kluwer, 2021.
5. Emilia Onyema, “OHADA Arbitration and Common Law African Countries”, in A. Ngwanza (ed), Vingt ans d’arbitrage OHADA: bilan et perspectives, LexisNexis, 2019, pages 427-441.
6. “Shifts in Dispute Resolution Processes of West African States” in Moscati A, Roberts M, & Palmer M (eds) Comparative Dispute Resolution Research Handbook (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020).
7. “The Role of African Courts and Judges in Arbitration” in Onyema E (ed) Rethinking the Role of African National Courts in Arbitration, Kluwer Law International (Wolters Kluwer, 2018)
8. “The Jurisdictional Tensions Between Domestic Courts and Arbitral Tribunals” in Menaker, Andrea (ed) International Arbitration and the Rule of Law: Contribution and Conformity, ICCA Congress Series No 19, Kluwer (2017) pp 481-500
9. “Arbitration Institutions in Africa” in Emilia Onyema (ed), The Transformation of Arbitration in Africa: The Role of Arbitral Institutions, Kluwer Law International (2016), pp 15-43.
10. “Introduction” in Emilia Onyema (ed), The Transformation of Arbitration in Africa: The Role of Arbitral Institutions, Kluwer Law International (2016), pp 1-11.
11. “Commentary on the Arbitration Rules of the Lagos Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration”, in Mistelis L. & Shore L. (eds), 3rd edition, World Arbitration Reporter, (2015) Juris Publishers, USA (2015).
12. “International Arbitration in the West African States”, a chapter in Lise Bosman (ed) Practitioners’ Guide to Arbitration in Africa, Kluwer, 2013.
13. Emilia Onyema & Oluwaseye O Ayinla, “Online Negotiation and Mediation” in E Azinge & C Ani (eds) Principles of Negotiation and Mediation, NIALS Publ, 2012, pp 96-140.
14. ‘Commentary on the arbitration rules of the Lagos Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration’, in L. Mistelis & L. Shore (eds), 2^nd edition, World Arbitration Reporter, Juris Publishers, USA, 2010.
15. ‘Formalities of the Enforcement Procedure’ in Emmanuel Gaillard & Domenico Di Pietro (eds) Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitration Agreements and International Arbitral Awards – the New York Convention in Practice, (2008) Cameron May, pp 595 – 610.

Other publications including Working, and Conference Papers:

1. Emilia Onyema, Simeon Obidairo, Seye Ayinla, Habeeb Oredola, Pallavi Roy, “Anti-corruption agencies as debt recovery agents: the unintended consequence of anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria” published on 19 November 2019 and available at: https://ace.soas.ac.uk/publication/anti-corruption-agencies-as-debt-recovery-agents-the-unintended-consequences-of-anti-corruption-efforts-in-nigeria/
2. Emilia Onyema, Pallavi Roy, Seye Ayinla, Habeeb Oredola, “The EFCC and the Politics of (in)effective Implementation of Nigeria’s anti-corruption Policy” published on 23 November 2018 and available at: https://ace.soas.ac.uk/publication/the-efcc-and-the-politics-of-ineffective-implementation-of-nigerias-anti-corruption-policy-2-2/ 
3. Emilia Onyema, “Best Practices in Arbitration and ADR in Africa, Proceedings of the fifth SOAS Arbitration in Africa Conference (Arusha, 2019) available at: https://researcharbitrationafrica.com/files/conferences/2019%20Arusha%20Conference%20Booklet.pdf
4. Emilia Onyema, “SOAS Arbitration in Africa Survey Report” (2018) on “Domestic and International Arbitration: Perspectives from African Arbitration Practitioners” available at: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/25741/1/SOAS%20Arbitration%20in%20Africa%20Survey%20Report%202018.pdf
5. Emilia Onyema, “The role of arbitration practitioners in the development of arbitration in Africa” Proceedings of the fourth SOAS Arbitration in Africa Conference (Kigali, 2018) available at: https://researcharbitrationafrica.com/files/conferences/2018%20Kigali%20Conference%20Booklet.pdf
6. Emilia Onyema, “The role of African States and Governments in the Development of Arbitration in Africa”, Proceedings of the third SOAS Arbitration in Africa Conference (Cairo, 2017) available at: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/24243/6/Cairo%20Arbitration%20in%20Africa%20Conference%202017%20Booklet%20%28FINAL%29.pdf
7. Emilia Onyema, “Rethinking the role of Courts and Judges in Supporting Arbitration in Africa” Proceedings of the second SOAS Arbitration in Africa Conference (Lagos 2016); Available at: http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/cgi/stats/report/eprint/22727
8. Emilia Onyema, “The role of Arbitration Institutions in the Development of Arbitration in Africa” Proceedings of the first SOAS Arbitration in Africa Conference (Addis Ababa, 2015); Available at http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/20421/.
9. Emilia Onyema, Introduction to International Commercial Arbitration, a commissioned workbook for training arbitrators by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, (2008), pp 1-77.
10. Emilia Onyema, “Online Commentary on Articles 45 and 46 of the Vienna Convention on the International Sale of Goods, 1980” (CISG) available on http://www.ccisg.org/
11. The Role of the International Arbitral tribunal Secretary’, (2005) vol 2 Issue 3 Transnational Dispute Management, available at http://www.transnational-dispute-management.com/samples/toc.asp?key=8

Other publications and reports:

1. Emilia Onyema, (2020) Arbitration in Africa Survey Report titled, Top African Arbitral Centres and Seats, published online.
2. (2018) SOAS Arbitration in Africa Survey Report titled, Domestic and International Arbitration: Perspectives from African Arbitration Practitioners, published online
3. (2008), Introduction to International Commercial Arbitration, a workbook for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, pp 1-77. 
4. Online list of African Arbitration Centres: available at: https://www.arbitration-icca.org/media/7/14403606533411/list_of_arbitration_institutions_in_africa_-_emilia.pdf

Media interviews and Online Publications

1. Interview with LexisNexis on the African Promise: available at: https://researcharbitrationafrica.com/files/promise/The%20African%20Promise%20-%20redressing%20the%20balance%20in%20international%20arbitration.pdf
2. GAR Article on the African Promise: available at: https://researcharbitrationafrica.com/files/promise/GAR%20Article%20-%20The%20African%20Promise.pdf
3. SOAS article on the African Promise: available at: https://researcharbitrationafrica.com/files/promise/SOAS%20Article%20-%20The%20African%20Promise.pdf 
4. Law360 article on the African Promise: available at: https://researcharbitrationafrica.com/files/promise/Law360%20Article%20-%20The%20African%20Promise.pdf
5. The Conversation Article on the African Promise: available at: https://theconversation.com/too-few-of-africas-commercial-disputes-are-resolved-by-african-arbitrators-why-this-must-change-125038

Blogs

1. Emilia Onyema, “Global perspectives on teaching international investment law: teaching international investment law at SOAS University of London”, published on 31 January 2023 and available at: https://arbitrationblog.kluwerarbitration.com/2023/01/31/global-perspectives-on-teaching-international-investment-arbitration-teaching-international-investment-law-and-arbitration-at-soas-university-of-london/ 
2. Emilia Onyema, “Thoughts on the Chairing Styles adopted by Presiding Arbitrators”, published on 30 January 2023 and available at: https://afas-global.org/thoughts-on-the-chairing-styles-adopted-by-presiding-arbitrators/ 
3. Emilia Onyema, “The 2022 SOAS Counsel in Arbitration Training: a concrete solution to skills development for African counsel in arbitration”, published on 18 December 2022 and available at: https://arbitrationblog.kluwerarbitration.com/2022/12/18/the-2022-soas-counsel-in-arbitration-training-a-concrete-solution-to-skills-development-for-african-counsel-in-arbitration/ 
4. Emilia Onyema, “SOAS Arbitration in Africa survey report”, published 13 August 2018 and available at: https://arbitrationblog.kluwerarbitration.com/2018/08/13/soas-arbitration-africa-survey-report-2018/
5. Emilia Onyema, “What is wrong with the international investment regime”, published on 18 January 2018 and available at https://oxia.ouplaw.com/page/676

Book Reviews

1. Onyema E, Practical Aspects of Arbitrating EC Competition Law, by Tobias Zuberbuhler and Christian Oetiker (eds), (2007) vol 73 no 4 Arbitration, pp. 454-455. 
2. Onyema E, Law & Practice of International Commercial Arbitration, (4th ed.) by A. Redfern & M. Hunter, (2005) vol 9 no 1, The Vindobona Journal of International Commercial Law and Arbitration, pp. 209-210. 
3. Onyema E, International Commercial Arbitration in Latin America, by Jan Kleinheisterkamp, (2005) vol 9 no 2, The Vindobona Journal of International Commercial Law and Arbitration, pp. 369-370. 
4. Onyema E, Arbitration: Commentary and Sources; by Ercus Stewart, SC., (2004) vol 8, The Vindobona Journal of International Commercial Law and Arbitration, pp. 179-180.
5. Onyema E, International Commercial Arbitration and African States, Practice, Participation and Institutional Development; by Amazu A. Asouzu, (2001) vol 12 no 2, American Review of International Arbitration, pp. 281-283.

Forthcoming and works in progress:

1. Emilia Onyema, “Overview of Arbitration in Africa” in Gordon Blanke & Karim A. Youssef and Gordon Blanke (eds) International Commercial and Investment Treaty Arbitration in the Middle East and Africa: Topical Themes and Key Issues, Kluwer (submitted and accepted).
2. Emilia Onyema, “Costs in International Arbitration: Synergy between civil and common law principles” in ‘The Plurality and Synergies of Legal Traditions in International Arbitration: Looking Beyond the Common and Civil Law Divide’, edited by Nayla Comair Obeid and Stavros Brekoulakis, Kluwer (submitted and accepted).