16th NBA-SBL Conference To Explore Recent Devpts In Nigeria’s Business Law Environment

Recent developments in the Nigerian business law environment and how they have shaped or affected business operations in the country will be the focus of the 16th Annual International Business Law Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) coming up in July.

The conference is scheduled to hold from Wednesday, 20th to Friday, 22nd July, 2022 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital.

Themed “Recent Developments in the Business Law Environment”, the conference will seek to dissect some recent developments in the business law environment, how they have affected businesses, and proffer the way forward to enable businesses to thrive, according to a note issued by the NBA-SBL 2022 Conference Planning Committee (CPC).

It is understood that businesses operate within an environment and whatever happens in the business environment affects businesses and determines whether they thrive or fail.

Theodora Kio-Lawson, Chair, Media, Publicity & Mobilisation Subcommittee of the CPC, said the discussions at the conference will cut across sectors, from oil and gas to finance, tax administration, tech, the business of law, and so on.

A programme schedule released by the CPC shows that there will be 11 plenary sessions, with sub-themes including “The Petroleum Industry Act – Making it Work”; “AfCTFA – The Prospects for the Nigerian Business Lawyer”; “CAMA 2020: The Journey So Far”; “Tax Administration Strides and the Nigerian Business Environment”; and “ESG and the Nigerian Business Environment”.

Others are “The Regulation of Over-The-Top Services: Necessity or Overreaching?”; “The Nigerian Startup Bill – Economic enabler?”; “In-house & External Counsel Relationship – New Trends and Expectations”; “The New Face of Competition – Merger Control in the Nigerian Context”; “The Business of Law – New Frontiers, and Succession”; and “Tackling the Challenges of Ponzi Schemes: Insolvency as a Resolution Tool”.

Kio-Lawson said the NBA-SBL is assembling a distinguished faculty of knowledgeable speakers and resource persons from within and outside Nigeria to discuss these issues.

The NBA-SBL Annual Business Law Conference has, since its inception in 2004, continued to provide a platform for stakeholders in the Nigerian business environment to address the issues that affect the business environment as well as businesses operating within the environment. Over the years, the conference has explored themes that include “Bringing Down the Barriers: The Law as a Vehicle for Intra-Africa Trade”; “Growth, Investment and Employment: Beyond Rhetoric”; “Re-tooling Business for Change: Leveraging the Tech Explosion”; “Law and the Changing Face of Legal Practice”, among others.