Consensus Building Institute Partners with Corporate Mediators, Nigeria

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In partnership with Corporate Mediators, Nigeria (led by Olajide
Olagunju), CBI Senior Associate David Kovick led a 5-day training in
Advanced Mediation Skills for lawyers from the Directorate for Citizen
Rights, Ministry of Justice in Lagos State, Nigeria. The Directorate’s
mandate is to ensure access to justice for all citizens in Lagos (one
of Nigeria’s 36 federal states). As part of its work, the Directorate
launched the Citizen Mediation Center several years ago, to promote the
use of alternative dispute resolution.

Experienced mediators who have been with the Center for several years,
new mediators recently posted to the Center, and other senior directors
from other departments within the Ministry participated in the
training. The workshop focused on the underlying principles of
mediation that differentiate it from other forms of dispute resolution,
and several of the core skills needed to mediate effectively—including
in particular how to ensure that agreements are sustainable.

Plans are in place for a 2008 follow-up training on
multi-stakeholder consensus-building. The Citizen Mediation Center
hopes to assist with multi-stakeholder and community disputes that will
continue to arise as a result of urban growth and economic development.