Section of International Law: Africa Committee

Section of International Law:
Africa Committee

Who Are We

Welcome!

The Africa Committee's mission is to interact with lawyers, academics, students, and others with an interest in African legal affairs. Examples of such interests include the rule of law, international development, international investment and trade, good governance, and capacity building.

We are one of the most active committees in the ABA's Section of International Law. The Committee is comprised of over 300 practitioners in the public interest, private practice, academics, and other fields.

We will continue the tradition of developing new programs on events relevant to the nexus between African Affairs and law.

Sound like something you want to be part of? GREAT! If you are already a
member, please stay involved and reach out to the leadership! If you are
not yet a member, please join and enjoy your membership--and more
importantly, don't be shy...we want you to jump in with both feet! We value your ideas and will help you turn that passing idea into a wonderful program, project, or paper. Your membership (and your committee) is what you make of it!

SPECIAL NOTE TO STUDENTS & YOUNG LAWYERS:

The Africa Committee is continuing its push to get more students/young lawyers involved with the Committee. It is imperative that those who are interested raise their voices and become actively involved in the Committee. There are plenty of opportunities for everyone to participate....and the first step is by participating on the conference call. It's a way for students and young lawyers to be "legitimized" as people who are willing to take action. Anyone is welcome to contact any of the officers to state they are interested, but we are looking for action and that begins with the calls! If you have a particular interest in Eastern, Southern, or Western Africa, please consider joining one or more of our regional sub-committees!

Also, find us on LinkedIn where you can connect and network with your colleagues:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2197387&trk=anet_ug_grppro

What We Do

We will continue producing our quarterly newsletter addressing current noteworthy legal issues involving any African country or region. This is one of the many opportunities you will have to 1) get involved with the Committee, and 2) get published! Additionally, we write articles concerning legal developments in African countries for the Year-in-Review, which is a round-up of noteworthy legal developments in countries around the world. We strive to have each African country represented so you'll have plenty of opportunities to get published if you wish.

We also have five Working Groups in which all are welcome (you just need to contact each Working Group and tell them why you want to be part of that group):

1. Western Africa: http://www.abanet.org/dch/committee.cfm?com=IC550555

2. Eastern Africa: http://www.abanet.org/dch/committee.cfm?com=IC550554

3. Southern Africa: http://www.abanet.org/dch/committee.cfm?com=IC550553

4. Steering Committee: in charge of issues within the committee itself

5. Ad Hoc: deals with policy and any issues that are time-sensitive

The Africa Committee is striving in 2009 and 2010 to be on the leading edge of raising the profile of, participating in, and defining key perspectives in critical African legal issues. Africa Committee members are also working on interesting projects. For example, a book project on African legal issues is in nascent stages of development. We have several proposals to sponsor programs at the 2010 Spring Meeting, and our publications continue to reflect an array of viewpoints and ideas on African legal affairs.

More About Us

In March 2007, a 16-member Delegation was led by ABA International Chair Deborah Enix-Ross to the countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana. The focus of the trip was to discuss Rule of Law issues confronting the emerging democracies of Sierra Leone and Liberia, and the strengthening of democratic institutions and the legal profession in Ghana.

Delegates met with bar leaders, judges, ministry officials, academics, and legal practitioners. In particular, the trip had the primary goals of:

Engaging in a dialogue on practical and policy developments involving nation-building and strengthening legal institutions among jurists from the U.S. and West Africa, top leaders of the ABA, and key practitioners from the bar associations of Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone;
To show the ABA's support for institutions promoting the administration of justice, the rule of law, and the implementation of a legal framework for human rights and economic development in West Africa;
To gain insight into the reconciliation processes in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

As a direct result of the success of this trip, the Africa Committee had three Working Groups that deal specifically with these three countries. Activities ranged from in-country programs and publications to the provision of legal assistance to law school, bar associations, and other legal institutions. Due to the high volume of traffic and interest in working with these three countries, each Working Group had its own listserv through which communications and announcements were distributed. Due to the broader interest in the region and the synergies developed since the ILEX visit, the three listservs have now evolved into our new Western Africa Working Group to broaden our horizons and reach out to more members in the region. If you are interested in helping us in this cause, please join that Working Group.

Committee Events and Monthly Conference Calls

Next Conference Call: December 16, 2009 at 1pm (DC Time). If you would like to join the Africa Committee and receive call-in information, please submit your name at the 'subscribe' portion of LISTSERVE on this web page. We look forward to working with you!
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