Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa

The Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA) was founded in June 1996 as a non-profit company. Since its inception, AFSA has specialised in commercial and business disputes. Over the past decades, AFSA has handled numerous local business disputes and, since 2017, has handled a wide range of international disputes, making AFSA International a premier dispute resolution authority on the African continent. In the 27 years of its existence, AFSA has firmly established itself as a progressive and credible arbitral institution which enjoys both national and international recognition.

AFSA is also a regional leader in its field and is named as the preferred dispute resolution authority in the King III Report on Corporate Governance.

International Recognition:

• In 2020, AFSA was ranked the TOP Arbitration Centre in Africa in the SOAS Survey, University of London, in terms of:

- Experience in administering cases
- The top-ranking arbitration centre as rated by respondents from within and outside their locations
- Known for its professionalism, efficiency, and support facilities

• MOU with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague, the Netherlands, to strengthen alternative processes of dispute resolution in Sub-Saharan Africa, including the SADC region
• Partnership with the Shanghai International Arbitration Centre (SHIAC)
• Partnership with the Beijing International Arbitration Centre (BIAC)
• Partnership with the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA)
• Partnership with the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration (NCIA)
• Partnership with the Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa (OHADA)
• A member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association to create a Centre of Excellence for Dispute Resolution in the Indian Ocean Rim (IORA)
• Founding member of the China-Africa Joint Arbitration Centre (CAJAC) and accredited to establish CAJAC Johannesburg.
• Appointed the BRICS Dispute Resolution Centre, South Africa.