The UPSA Law School will from 8th to 12th March this year host the Africa round of the prestigious John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition.
The Competition, organised by the European Law Students Association (ELSA), with the technical assistance of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is a simulated hearing of the WTO settlement system. Participating teams analyse a fictive case and present their written submissions on same, following which they argue their case on behalf of the Complainant and Respondent before a panel made up of WTO and other trade law experts.
In 2014, ELSA, in cooperation with academic stakeholders in Africa, the WTO and private donors, launched the inaugural African Regional Round, which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the University of the Witwatersrand. For the first time, teams from Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, and Tunisia competed in this regional round.
The inaugural round was a resounding success, and the teams from South Africa, Ethiopia and Lesotho were then able to travel to Geneva to compete on the world stage with the best law students from the other regions.
The John H. Jackson Moot Court competition starts with a regional elimination round that takes place across the continents. The final round takes place in Geneva, Switzerland.
The aim of the competition is to enhance knowledge of international trade law and WTO dispute settlement procedures as well as to enhance the capacity of a meaningful engagement in multilateral states in a long term.
The 2023 edition of the competition is the 21st edition. This year, sixteen teams from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia and Lesotho will participate in the African Regional Round. The African Regional Round is being hosted by the UPSA Law School in Accra, Ghana.
The final round of the competition would be held in June where the best 25 teams from all over the world will participate in a final oral round.
The Round is sustained by support from African and global sponsors. To support the competition, please contact [email protected] or [email protected]
