Past Advocacy
Over the years, the Chair of African Legal Studies has contributed to a range of advocacy and advisory projects that support constitutional reform, human rights protection, and institution-building across African states and within international organisations.
Somalia Constitutional Review (Concluded)
One of our most extensive past initiatives is the project “Somalisation of the Constitution: A Concept for a Combined Federalism Dialogue and Constitutional Review in Somalia.”
Since the provisional Constitution entered into force in 2012, Somalia has faced significant challenges in implementing effective federal governance. Key weaknesses included:
- unclear distribution of powers between federal and state levels
- insufficient checks and balances
- lack of functioning constitutional jurisdiction
- low public trust due to weak guarantees of justice
Under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a renewed constitutional review process was launched pursuant to Article 137 of the provisional Constitution. The Chair contributed expertise to support this process and to promote an inclusive, Somali-owned approach to constitutional development. The project has now been successfully concluded.
Expert Reports for International Organisations
The Chair has provided expert analyses to institutions such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and other international bodies. These reports draw upon our interdisciplinary research and extensive network of scholars and practitioners across the continent.