Africa

SOAS Library

Website of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Library at the University of London, providing information about collections, services and facilities. Has a link to the Library Catalogue; a list of databases; details of e-books and e-journals; and the SOAS Archive Catalogue. There is a Subject Guide for the law collection, which includes a page of information by country or region covering Africa, China, Europe, International Law, Japan and Korea, the Middle East and Central Asia, South Asia, South-East Asia and the UK.

African Legislatures Project

The African Legislatures Project (ALP) is based at the Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town, South Africa. The project conducts research into the way that the legislatures function. English is the main language but the introductory article in PDF which gives the background to the project is also available in French and Portuguese. Full-text access is given free of charge to a variety of Country Reports, Working Papers, text of Constitutions of the countries covered and Conference Papers.

African Human Rights Case Law Analyser

Free database of decisions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACmHPR), together with cases from other African human rights bodies, including  the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice and the East African Court of Justice.  Launched in November 2010, the Analyser is a joint project of the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) and Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems (HURIDOCS). The interface is available in English, French, Arabic and Portuguese.

Introduction to the Law of the Southern African Development Community

Online guide to the law of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) written by Dunia P. Zongwe who is a former graduate fellow of the Institute for African Development at Cornell University. The guide was published in 2011 (and updated in 2023) on the Globalex website and made freely available by the Hauser Global Law School Program at the New York University School of Law. The author gives background and historical information to SADC which is a regional economic community composed of 15 countries in Southern Africa.

African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights

Official website of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights which was established by a protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights in1998. The African Court is based in Tanzania and started work in 2006. It has jurisdiction over all cases submitted to it regarding the interpretation and application of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and deals with human rights violations perpetrated by African Union Member States. The site has profiles of judges and information on the history and role of the Court.

African Union

The African Union (AU) seeks to promote unity and solidarity in Africa. Its website provides information about member states and events, together with the organisation's treaties, statements, decisions, declarations, reports and other documents. Several journals and newsletters are also available, largely in French. The site is in English, French and Arabic.

Introduction to the norms and institutions of the African Union

Guide to the African Union written by Girmachew Alemu Aneme, an Assistant Professor of Law at Addis Ababa University and updated in 2023 by Ufuoma Lamikanra who is a Lawyer and retired law librarian. The article was originally published in 2010 on the Globalex website and made freely available by the Hauser Global Law School Program at the New York University School of Law. There is an introduction to the origins of the African Union (AU) which started off as the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

Southern African Legal Information Institute

The Southern African Legal Information Institute (SAFLII) has been developed by the Wits Law School in South Africa and is hosted by the Constitutional Court of South Africa. SAFLII provides free access to South African legal materials including judgements of the Constitutional Court of South Africa back to 1995, judgements of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa and decisions of the Land Claims Court of South Africa from 1996. Full text South African consolidated legislation can also be viewed on the site along with publications of the South African Law Commission.

African Journals OnLine

African Journals OnLine provides access to more than 800 journals published in Africa, including law titles, with many articles available free of charge. It was established as a project by the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications. Users can register for email alerts.
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