NBA-SBL Unveils Programme For 16th Business Law Conference

The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) has released a schedule of programmes for its 16th Annual International Business Law Conference billed to hold at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja from Wednesday, 20th to Friday, 22nd July 2022.

The programme schedule released by the 2022 Conference Planning Committee shows that the conference, themed “Recent Developments in the Business Law Environment”, will feature 11 plenary sessions.

According to the programme schedule, the sub-themes for the sessions include “CAMA 2020: The Journey So Far”; “ESG and the Nigerian Business Environment”; “In-house & External Counsel Relationship – New Trends and Expectations”; “Tackling the Challenges of Ponzi Schemes: Insolvency as a Resolution Tool”; and “AfCTFA – The Prospects for the Nigerian Business Lawyer”.

Others are “The New Face of Competition – Merger Control in the Nigerian Context”; “Tax Administration Strides and the Nigerian Business Environment”; “The Regulation of Over-The-Top Services: Necessity or Overreaching?”; “The Nigerian Startup Bill – Economic enabler?”; “The Petroleum Industry Act – Making it Work”; and “The Business of Law – New Frontiers, and Succession”.

While the list of speakers and panellists is being awaited, the NBA-SBL has said it is assembling a distinguished faculty of knowledgeable speakers and resource persons from within and outside Nigeria to dissect these issues and chart the way forward.

The schedule also shows that apart from the sessions, there will be other attractions to spice up the conference. These include Learning Curves, the Tare Yeri Prize and SBL Award, as well as social events like Games Night, dinner and closing party.

In a note issued earlier, the 2022 Conference Planning Committee (CPC) said the 16th Annual Business Law Conference will examine recent developments in the Nigerian business environment and how they have shaped or affected business operations.

“The focus will be cross-sectoral, from oil (that has witnessed the birth of a new industry law, divestments by IOCs, a world racing away from oil, and disruptive geo-political tension in Eastern Europe), to finance/tax administration (where the annual amendments to the fiscal legislation through the Finance Act leave businesses scratching their heads), the expanding fintech space that craves for a fit-for-purpose regulation, the Twitter ban that raised the question of Nigeria’s readiness to regulate OTT services, the Startup Bill that seeks to regulate the tech ecosystem, and much more,” said Theodora Kio-Lawson, Chair, Media and Publicity Sub-Committee of the 2022 Conference Planning Committee.

The NBA-SBL is a special arm of the Nigerian Bar Association which engenders the development of commercial law and specialised commercial law practice in Nigeria. Through its Annual Business Law Conference which commenced in 2004, the NBA-SBL provides a platform for stakeholders in the Nigerian business environment to address the issues that affect the business environment and, by extension, businesses operating in it.