By Francis Ameyibor
Tema, Jan. 12, GNA – The African Institute of International Law (AIIL), based in Tanzania, has started the process of concluding a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a few African universities to conduct joint programmes in accordance with its mission.
The African Institute of International Law is a unique institution engaged in capacity building for the dissemination of international law in Africa, as well as the law of the African Union and the promotion of the rule of law on the African continent through its training and teaching activities.
The Institute is dedicated to reinforcing the rule of law both domestically and internationally through the effective national implementation of international standards in key areas such as human rights, good governance, independence of the judiciary, accountability, and the fight against corruption.
Commissioner and Advocate Bahame Tom Nyanduga, a former Member of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the current AIIL Vice Rector responsible for Administration, Capacity Building, and Cooperation, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview.
Commissioner Nyanduga said the African Institute of International Law, in addition to signing a MOU with scores of African universities, is currently in the process of seeking accreditation from the African Union as an AU-specialised agency.
He said the institute is also involved in offering comprehensive programmes to educate and train individuals, government officials, and leaders in African institutions, including government and non-governmental organisations, in public international law.
He said it also equipped and empowered African leaders in the Law of the African Union instruments, thereby contributing to the development of legal expertise and the promotion of democratic governance and the rule of law in Africa.
“Strengthening the capabilities of individuals and institutions to effectively engage with and implement international legal standards and serving as a hub for intellectual exchange, research, and policy development in the field of international law,” the AIIL Vice Rector stated.
Commissioner Nyanduga also explained that the institute’s governance structure includes a governing board whose chairpersons include eminent African and foreign jurists, such as Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf of the International Court of Justice and its former President, Ambassador Amina Mohamed, and former Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Education of Kenya, and Judge Fatsah Ouguergouz, former Judge of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights, who is also the Rector.
The Administrative Committee includes eminent judges, African and foreign, such as Judge Mohamed Chande Othman, former Chief Justice of Tanzania; Professor Tchikaya, Judge of the African Court; Judge Vahn Jensen; and Judge William Sekule of the United Nations International Residual Mechanisms of Criminal Tribunals.
GNA