Highlights

About The
Conference

2-day leadership conference and training summit aimed at empowering, championing and raising the global profile of the African in-house legal community. This not to be missed event provides an exclusive environment in which Africa’s corporate and government counsel can exchange ideas, discuss and debate hot topics and build professional networks. The event will take place in person in Kampala, Uganda.

2022 ACGC Conference Programme

2022-ACGC-Conference-Programme.pdf

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Video Highlights

Photo Highlights

Event Programme - Day 1

8:15 am

Registration & Breakfast Networking

9:10 am

Welcome Address

  • Pheona Wall, President | Corporation Secretary, Uganda Law Society | National Water & Sewerage Corporation Insurance Company
  • Bernard Oundo, President, East Africa Law Society
  • ACGC

9:30 am - 10:15 am

Opening Panel Session – Changemakers Part 1

Change Management: Aligning the Legal Department with Business Strategy

Although the legal department is a strategic partner to the business not all parts of the organisation understand or accept the strategic nature of the relationship. Managing change to align to the vision of the legal department as strategic partner can bring organisational, cultural and efficiency challenges. In our opening panel, discussants will explore how in-house counsel can build or reshape the legal department to accommodate this changing role. They will also address how GCs can ensure the culture of the legal department aligns with achieving the organisation’s strategic goals.

Moderator: Hope Atuhairwe-Kisitu, Director, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Uganda Development Corporation

  • Peter Muliisa, Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer, Uganda National Oil Corporation
  • Darshani Parsuramen Angot, Legal Counsel, Africa, International SOS
  • Rita Kabatunzi, Company Secretary, Stanbic Uganda Holdings

10:15 am - 11:00 am

Panel Session

Wellness, Well-being and Working from home: Keeping teams together in a flexible working environment
This panel will explore how corporate legal teams are navigating the new normal of operating virtually or in hybrid form and the inevitable impact this is having on people’s wellness in terms of their mental health and as a team. In particular, the panel will explore:

  • How workplace culture & expectations are being reshaped
  • The impact of hybrid working
  • The realities and challenges of keeping performance on track whilst safeguarding mental health

Moderator: Toyin Ojo, Senior Legal Counsel, African Legal Support Facility

  • Mark Turyamureba, Head of Legal & Regulatory Affairs, ATC Uganda
  • Pat Mbugua, Head, Legal, Client Coverage, Corporate Commercial and Institutional Banking, East Africa, Standard Chartered Bank, Kenya
  • Anne Abeja, Company Secretary and Chief Legal Officer, Housing Finance Bank

11:00 am - 11:30 am

Beyond Legal: Defining Corporate Purpose

Keynote: Beyond Legal: Defining Corporate Purpose
In conversation: Fred Waithaka, Head of Regulatory and Public Policy, Safaricom, Kenya and Cynthia Lareine, Co-Founder, ACGC

In this session we will explore the increasingly strong connection between corporate purpose & profitability. We will discuss how legal leaders within in-house teams can support businesses in rethinking corporate strategies in order to achieve long-term responsible and sustainable growth which reflects and aligns with the values of ethically minded customers and investors.

11:30 am - 11:45 am

Mid-morning coffee break

11:45 am - 12:45 pm

Spotlight Panel session: Legal Innovation

Digitizing the in-house team: How legal departments can leverage legal tech
According to Gartner, almost 90% of companies who invest in legal technology report that their organisations met or exceeded expected ROI. That said, getting the most out of legal tech and successfully undergoing a legal digital transformation, takes time, considerable foresight and a lot of planning. In this session, our panellists will discuss best practise when it comes to adopting & implementing legal tech including:

  • The best ways to determine your legal department needs & drive change management
  • How to develop the most effective legal tech implementation strategy
  • Key steps during the tech transformation journey

Moderator: Leah Molatseli, Head of Business Development, Legal Interact

  • Allan Rwakakooko, Head of Legal Services, Umeme Ltd, Uganda
  • Maurus Schreyvogel, Former Head of Legal Innovation, Novartis
  • Emmanuel Sebijjo Ssemmanda, Dean Faculty of Law at International University of East Africa

Sponsor: Legal Interact

12:45 pm - 1:30 pm

Networking Lunch

1:30 pm - 2:15 pm

Public Procurement Essentials Roundtable

Moderator: Desmond Odhiambo Partner, CDH

  • Tinashe Makoni, General Counsel, Private Infrastructure Development Group
  • Toyin Ojo, Senior Legal Counsel, African Legal Support Facility
  • Pheona Wall, President | Corporation Secretary, Uganda Law Society | National Water & Sewerage Corporation Insurance Company

  • Sponsor: CDH

    From risk management to value creation: supporting the new African tech sectors

    Moderator: Nankunda Katangaza, Co-Founder, ACGC

    • Phiona Kiwanuka, Legal & Regulatory Counsel – Ecommerce Jumia Uganda
    • Baker Birikujja Manager Licensing and Legal Affairs Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO)
    • Naomi Amobi, Global Regulatory Lead, Wise
    • Chukwudi Ofili, Director of Investment Management & East Africa Regional Counsel, RENEW LLC

2:15 pm - 3:15 pm

Panel Session - Changemakers Part 2

The right thing to do — The role of in-house lawyers as ethical leaders
GCs are expected to wear multiple hats and to balance their advisor role with their professional legal obligations. In addition to this, those in other functions may not fully understand the numerous ethical challenges or the constraints on in house lawyers including conflicts of interest, breaches of duty and violations of privilege and confidentiality. Our panellists will examine some of the ethical bear traps in-house counsel regularly face and share their experiences on how to navigate the challenge of being an ethical leader.

Moderator: Angelina Namakula-Ofwono, Chief Legal Officer/ Company Secretary, DFCU Bank

  • Jane Okot p’Bitek-Langoya, Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland: ICSA Uganda - East Africa Region
  • Lloydette Bai-Marrow, CEO/Founding Partner, Parametric Global Consulting

3:15 pm - 4:15 pm

Setting the Sustainability & ESG agenda in African legal departments: The role of the modern in-house lawyer

In-house lawyers play a unique role in influencing the leadership of their company or organisation and spearheading strategic change. Therefore, a discussion about Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) policy and sustainability which is not legally defined but yet increasingly important in business and beyond, has the potential to highlight not only the practical aspects of embedding policy but also the influential role of the in-house lawyer in setting the agenda.

Moderator: Prof Winifred Tarinyeba Kiryabwire, Chair and Non-Exec Director, DFCU Bank

  • Sarah Davis – Vice Chair, UNICEF & Former Director Group Legal Affairs , ITV
  • Dianah Njeri Igati - General Counsel, Chief Compliance & MLRO, Scope Markets Kenya

4:15 pm - 4:30 pm

Afternoon coffee break

4:30 pm - 5:45 pm

External law firm roundtable: The anatomy of an ideal client

The question of value remains at the forefront of all in-house counsel’s minds and specifically, how to extract the best value from external law firms. Join this session as our in-house lawyers present their expectations of what they ideally want from outside counsel firms. Our external law firms will also share valuable insights on what in their experience are the key ingredients for achieving successful relationships with corporate legal teams.

Moderator: Jennifer Mbaluto, Partner, Clifford Chance
Special Guest: Fred Waithaka, Head of Regulatory and Public Policy, Safaricom, Kenya
Sponsor: Clifford Chance

5:45 pm

Programme Close

6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

ACGC Drinks Reception

Event Programme - Day 2

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Drafting Arbitration Clauses: from Theory to Practice

  • Institutional vs ad hoc arbitration;
  • Choice of arbitral institution;
  • Governing law;
  • Place of arbitration;
  • Scope of arbitration agreement;
  • Constitution of arbitral tribunal ;
  • Language;
  • Confidentiality;
  • “Multi-tier” dispute resolution clauses.

Trainers:
  • Charles Nairac, Partner, International Arbitration (Paris)
  • Tolu Obamuroh, Associate, International Arbitration (Paris)


  • Sponsor: White and Case

    1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

    Networking Lunch

    2:00 pm - 5:30 pm

    Data protection and Privacy essentials for In-House Counsel

    Trainers:

  • Catherine Kariuki, Partner, Head of TMT Department
  • Janet Othero, Partner, TMT Department


  • Sponsor: TripleOK Law