Accra, Ghana – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in collaboration with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) hosted the 2nd edition of the UNICTRAL Days in Africa under the theme “The Use of UNCITRAL Texts in Africa, Trends and Prospects” on Monday, November 27, 2023.
The event brought together legal scholars, policymakers, and students from across Africa to discuss the importance of UNCITRAL texts in shaping the landscape of international trade within the African region.
In her opening remarks, Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice Diana Asonaba Dapaah noted that Ghana has adopted UNCITRAL texts, particularly in the areas of arbitration and commercial law, to create a more favorable business environment.
UNCITRAL Secretary Anna Joubin-Bret stated that the aim of celebrating the UNCITRAL days in Africa is to promote awareness, study, and discuss UNCITRAL texts and topics within the community of young legal scholars and students.
Ghana’s Ambassador to Austria and the United Nations Offices in Vienna, Philbert Johnson, called on African countries to create more awareness and the needed capacity in international commercial and trade law within the remit of UNCITRAL, to ensure competitiveness in the global economic system.
The Director of Legal and Treaties Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Jane Gasu Aheto, noted that UNCITRAL is one body that has over the years helped shape international norms on international trade and commerce and Ghana has been pivotal to the work of UNCITRAL since it was formed.