CIMA training is a strategic national investment. It can help developing States prevent, manage, and prevail in disputes, enhance their legal sovereignty, and train their officials as experts in international negotiation, mediation and arbitration.
This aligns with the integration agenda or project under WTO, AfCFTA, and various UN frameworks. CIMA training also directly supports the Ministries of Trade, Justice, and Foreign Affairs and equips state legal advisors, foreign affairs officers, trade negotiators, and government lawyers with:

• Knowledge of Dispute Settlement Mechanisms (e.g., WTO, AfCFTA, COMESA, ECOWAS, SADC).
• Skills to draft, interpret, and defend trade and investment treaty obligations.
• Competence to appear before panels, tribunals, or appellate bodies.
• Techniques in amicable dispute resolution (mediation, conciliation, good offices).

Supporting National ADR Policy Development and Institutional Reform

States benefit from CIMA’s technical training in:

• Designing national arbitration and mediation policies/laws aligned with UNCITRAL Model Law.
• Reforming court-connected ADR systems.
• Establishing domestic arbitration centers or regulatory frameworks.

This is useful for Attorney Generals’ Departments, ADR Task Forces, Law Commissions.

Enhancing State Readiness for AfCFTA Disputes

CIMA provides specialized courses on:

• AfCFTA Dispute Protocol interpretation and practice.
• Drafting state submissions before AfCFTA Panels.
• Understanding overlapping jurisdiction with RECs.

This strengthens African States’ readiness for trade-related disputes.

Training Government Officials as Arbitrators or Mediators

CIMA can:

• Certify government officials as international mediators or arbitrators.
• Prepare them for inclusion on regional and continental rosters (e.g., COMESA, AfCFTA, ICSID).

This supports strategic positioning of national experts on global ADR panels.

Diplomatic Training for Missions and State Delegations

CIMA provides training in: Negotiation, mediation, and arbitration in multilateral fora. This equips embassies, consulates, and trade envoys with legal-diplomatic negotiation tools.