Calendar
Legal and business events
Upcoming conferences and forums selected for their relevance to sub-Saharan African law firms, general counsel, executives and investors. Meridian verifies dates with each organiser; please confirm details before travelling.
4–6 Nov 2026
Local
CIArb Nigeria Branch Annual Conference 2026
The Nigeria Branch's annual conference for arbitrators and disputes counsel, relevant to anyone handling commercial or investor-state disputes.
Registration19 Nov 2026
Regional
The Meridian Webinar: Who Really Moved the Market? West Africa’s Deal Landscape, 2024 to 2026
The Meridian presents the evidence behind the West Africa 50: two years of named, sourced transactions and the firms behind them.
Registration4–9 Oct 2026
International
IBA Annual Conference 2026
The IBA's flagship annual meeting, with more than 5,000 attendees expected, where Nigerian and West African firms build referral relationships.
Registration26–27 Oct 2026
Local
32nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES #32)
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group's annual public-private policy dialogue; its signals shape the regulatory agenda clients will ask about.
Registration27 Jun – 1 Jul 2027
Local
NOG Energy Week 2027
Nigeria's main oil and gas conference gathers the NUPRC, NMDPRA, operators and financiers, making it core for Nigerian energy lawyers.
Registration12–16 Oct 2026
International
African Energy Week 2026
Licensing rounds, deal signings and policy debate across oil, gas, power and minerals; relevant to energy, projects and finance lawyers.
Registration27–29 Oct 2026
Local
Nigeria Energy 2026
West Africa's main power and energy exhibition returns to Lagos, bringing together the regulators, developers and financiers that energy and project finance lawyers advise.
Registration18–22 Nov 2026
Local
AWLA International Conference 2026
The African Women Lawyers Association brings judges, lawyers and policymakers to Accra for five days on legal reform and gender equity in the profession.
Registration19–22 Apr 2027
International
23rd Annual AVCA Conference & VC Summit
The largest Africa-focused private capital conference is held in Abidjan in 2027, bringing global investors to West Africa and to the lawyers who structure their deals.
Registration5–9 Oct 2026
International
AfAA and CIArb Kenya Branch Joint Conference 2026
A pan-African arbitration meeting where regional appointment practice and institutional reform are debated.
Registration12 Oct 2026
International
Sierra Leone Food & Agriculture Investment Forum
Hosted at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer in London, the forum puts Sierra Leone deal flow in front of DFIs and investors who need local counsel.
Registration13–14 Oct 2026
International
AFSIC: Investing in Africa 2026
An investor-focused conference with country summits and a deal room, useful for counsel advising on inbound investment and fundraising.
Registration12–13 Nov 2026
International
3rd IBA African Competition Law Conference: East Africa
The IBA's African competition law meeting covers merger control and enforcement trends that Nigerian and Ghanaian practitioners increasingly face under the FCCPC and ECOWAS regimes.
Registration2–4 Dec 2026
International
4th Annual IBA Asset Recovery Conference
The programme includes a judicial keynote on conviction and non-conviction based asset recovery in Nigeria, directly relevant to fraud and white collar practitioners.
Registration8–11 Feb 2027
International
Investing in African Mining Indaba 2027
The continent's largest mining investment meeting draws governments, miners and financiers, and many international and African law firms use it for client events.
Registration7–11 Jun 2027
International
London International Disputes Week 2027
LIDW is a key week for the London disputes community, where African arbitration and enforcement matters feature and West African counsel build referral links.
Registration15 Oct 2026
International
AVCA Sustainable Investing in Africa Summit 2026
Private capital investors meet in London on climate, energy security and industrialisation, themes that shape fund formation and ESG work for West African deal lawyers.
Registration1–3 Dec 2026
International
SuperReturn Africa 2026
Africa's largest private equity gathering is where fund managers and LPs meet the transactional and fund formation lawyers who serve West African deals.
Registration10 Feb 2027
International
GC Forum Extractives 2027
Mining and energy general counsel meet during Mining Indaba week to discuss protecting investment, a direct line to in-house buyers of West African resources work.
Registration9–13 May 2027
International
25th Commonwealth Law Conference 2027
The Commonwealth Lawyers Association's flagship conference covers rule of law, constitutional law and legal technology, with strong participation from Nigerian and Ghanaian bars.
Registration11–13 May 2027
International
Invest in African Energy Forum 2027
Governments, operators and financiers meet in Paris to match African energy projects with capital, a useful venue for energy and project finance counsel.
Registration3–4 Nov 2026
International
African Financial Industry Summit (AFIS) 2026
Senior bankers, insurers, fintechs and regulators discuss regulatory harmonisation and financial inclusion, relevant to banking and fintech lawyers across West Africa.
Registration8–10 Feb 2027
International
Mining Series 2027
Invest Africa's evening series during Mining Indaba week covers critical minerals, beneficiation and access to capital, useful for mining and natural resources lawyers.
RegistrationExecutive Dealmaker Roundtables
Invitation-only roundtables convened by Meridian for general counsel, sponsors, development finance institutions, regulators and practitioners.