ICCA Historical Database of African Dispute Resolution

The challenge

ICCA is a worldwide non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting and developing arbitration, conciliation and other forms of international dispute resolution.

The challenge was to create a comprehensive digital solution that would make historical African dispute resolution materials accessible to researchers worldwide. The platform needed to support a user-friendly catalogue with extensive search capabilities and multi-level compound filtering to help users navigate three centuries of materials. Additionally, the system required support for editorial structured content preparation outside of Drupal, automatic import of PDFs from external sources, and a multi-language section within a single language website architecture.

Our solution

WeAreBrain helped create the Historical Database of African Dispute Resolution, an online, searchable database of historical arbitral proceedings involving African governments, interests or parties. The platform serves as a comprehensive resource for researchers seeking to provide a more complete overview of how African actors have engaged historically with alternative dispute resolution processes.

Our solution spans materials from 1843 to the present day, representing three centuries of African dispute resolution history. The database is designed as an ongoing project that will be expanded continuously in the months and years to come, uncovering many of the untold stories of Africa’s often underrepresented history in international dispute resolution.

What makes this platform innovative is its sophisticated search and filtering capabilities, allowing researchers to navigate vast amounts of historical data efficiently. The system supports complex editorial workflows while maintaining ease of use for end users, and seamlessly integrates multi-language functionality to serve ICCA’s global audience.

The result

Thanks to our three-month development cycle, the ICCA Historical Database has successfully centralised centuries of African dispute resolution materials into a single, accessible platform. The database now serves researchers worldwide, providing them with previously scattered historical materials in a structured, searchable format.

The platform has enhanced international understanding of African contributions to dispute resolution while supporting contemporary research and legal practices. Our robust content management system enables ICCA’s editorial team to continuously expand the database, ensuring this valuable resource grows over time.

Technology used

• Drupal for content management and editorial workflows