Activities of the training centre were launched in Douala on October 31, 2014.

Mediation is a legal profession that is yet to be introduced in Cameroon and other African countries while it has been developed in Canada, the United States and Europe as an alternative way to settle conflicts. Though a bill has been tabled on mediation in Cameroon, adoption is still pending.

Experts have seen that mediating in conflicts do not only satisfy both parties, but equally promote good governance, peace and economic growth in a country.

According to veteran barrister who studied mediation in “Centre de Médiation et d’Arbitrage de Paris” in France and an erstwhile President of the Cameroon Bar Council’s General Assembly, Brigitte Ada Nnengue Lebreton, conflicts are better managed by mediators.

She explained that a good mediator takes at most four months to settle a problem no matter the complexity. The court, the mediator said, is not only costly but time-consuming as well.

Mediating to her, cements relationship between conflicting parties when amicable negotiations are reached as compared to court cases where enmity reigns after judgment is passed.

The neutrality and independence of a mediator attracts the confidence of both parties who in turn duel on the truth for rapid and agreeable outcome without attracting public attention. Since confidentiality is their watchword, she explained that 80 per cent of mediated cases are successful.

Since training is expensive in Europe (about FCFA four million), the president and founder of the first-ever training centre, “Centre Professionnel de Médiation, CEPFOMEN”, Brigitte Lebreton, appealed to the government to institute continuous training in the country. The training centre will go operational early next year.