Wayamo Foundation

Expert workshop: countering terrorism and international crimes
2022-05-26 08:00 - 2022-05-27 17:00 (Europe/Berlin) | Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Countering terrorism and international crimes: human rights implications and linkages

Wayamo Foundation and KAS Rule of Law Program for Anglophone Sub-Saharan Africa take pride in announcing that they will be holding a two-day expert workshop in Pretoria on the nexus and linkages between terrorism, human rights, and international crimes. This workshop will bring together counter-terrorism and international criminal justice experts, human rights advocates, academics and practitioners from Europe and selected countries from Eastern, Southern and West Africa.
The discussions will begin with a review of existing counter-terrorism conventions and national legal frameworks. The invited experts will each get an opportunity to discuss their country’s counter-terrorism legislation and the challenges involved in enforcing it at the national level. How to deal with the emerging (and often controversial) role of armed forces in providing evidence for terrorism trials? How do prosecutors and judges in these countries deal with the relatively new challenges of charging and adjudicating terrorism-related crimes, especially where these amount to international crimes?

Subjects to be explored include:

rule-of-law approach to countering terrorism;
criminal justice sector response to terrorism;
cumulative prosecution for core international crimes and terrorism-related offences;
identifying terrorist acts that meet the legal definitions of core international crimes;
affirming the centrality of a fair trial to the successful prosecution of terrorist acts;
chronic problems of counterinsurgency and counter-terrorist operations and how to overcome them; and,
the collection of evidence on the battlefield by the military:the use and admissibility of battlefield evidence to prosecute terrorist offences.

Case assessment and redrafting charges training for Nigeria’s Complex Casework Group
2022-03-01 08:00 - 2022-03-31 17:00
Throughout March 2022 the Wayamo Foundation held a series of training sessions for prosecutors from Nigeria’s Complex Casework Group (CCG) focusing on using custom-built digital case assessment tools to identify cases that touch on potential international crimes, and on redrafting charges – if necessary – to reflect those crimes under Nigerian law.

Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone added to wayamo’s “Justice in West Africa” web portal
2022-02-14 08:00 - 17:00
The Wayamo Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Rule of Law Programme for Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa are proud to announce the launch of three additional country pages on the “Justice in West Africa” website, a bilingual online resource platform of accountability efforts for international crimes.
The website provides an interactive database in both English and French covering: the domestic prosecution of international crimes across a host of West African countries; regional and hybrid justice mechanisms; the work of the International Criminal Court in the region; and expert analysis in the form of video interviews. The additional three country pages of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria were added to the website, alongside the already online pages of Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali and Senegal.

Third workshop for the Serious Crimes Response Team
2021-12-01 08:00 - 2021-12-03 17:00 | Abuja, Nigeria
Over the course of the week from 29 November to 3 December 2021, the Wayamo Foundation held two different workshops in Abuja, both in their respective ways linked to the need to address international crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Both workshops followed a hybrid model, with participants and local experts present in Abuja and international experts joining them via Zoom.
Click here for the pictures of the “Serious Crimes Response Team” workshop.
The second workshop was entirely military in nature, and centred on the ongoing project of creating a Serious Crimes Response Team (SCRT), a highly specialised unit of military investigators and prosecutors drawn from all three services, who will be specifically trained to investigate and prosecute serious crimes that have allegedly been committed by the Armed Forces and potentially fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC.

Workshop for Nigerian prosecutors and investigators to enhance interagency collaboration to bring the electronic case-file database to fruition
2021-11-29 08:00 - 2021-11-30 17:00 | Abuja, Nigeria
Over the course of the week from 29 November to 3 December 2021, the Wayamo Foundation held two different workshops in Abuja, both in their respective ways linked to the need to address international crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Both workshops followed a hybrid model, with participants and local experts present in Abuja and international experts joining them via Zoom.
Click here for the pictures of the “interagency collaboration” workshop.
The first of these workshops brought together prosecutors from the Complex Casework Group (CCG) and investigators from the Joint Investigation Centre and 7 Military Investigations Bureau, as a practical step aimed at “enhancing interagency collaboration to bring the electronic case-file database for terrorism files to fruition”. In order for this newly created database and its case- and evidence-management software to attain their combined potential, investigators and prosecutors need to collaborate from the earliest stages of an investigation. This database will also serve to build more complex cases which may address international crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC.

Training sessions for prosecutors from Nigeria’s Complex Casework Group
2021-10-26 08:00 - 2021-11-03 17:00
Between 26 October 2021 and 3 November 2021, the Wayamo Foundation held a series of training sessions for prosecutors from Nigeria’s Complex Casework Group (CCG) focusing on using new digital case assessment tools to identify cases that touch on potential international crimes.

The series of small-group sessions were held online and in person, and featured instruction from Kris Kotarski, Digital Programmes Manager, Wayamo Foundation and Matthew Odu Una, senior CCG Prosecutor and digital projects lead who together delivered tailor-made instruction to small teams prosecutors nominated by the CCG.
Over the span of a week, 18 CCG members received hands-on training on using the custom-built digital assessment tools, which included a mix of live demonstrations and group exercises.
The CCG is a specialised unit coming under the Directorate of Public Prosecutions at the Ministry of Justice. Together, the Wayamo Foundation and the CCG are creating an electronic case-file database to serve as a repository for terrorism files and their corresponding judgements. This database will also serve to build more complex cases which may address international crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Wayamo’s bespoke training sessions for Nigeria’s CCG will continue in December 2021.

Justice for International Crimes: Challenges and Strategies in West Africa and Elsewhere
2021-10-25 08:00 - 2021-10-26 17:00 | Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
On 25 and 26 October 2021, the Wayamo Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) Programme for the Promotion of the Rule of Law in Sub-Saharan Africa held an international conference entitled, “Justice for International Crimes: Challenges and Strategies in West Africa and Elsewhere“, in Dakar, Senegal.
(Please download the programme here)
More than 90 experts and participants from the International Criminal Court (ICC), United Nations, African Union, Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal, International Residual Mechanism of the Criminal Tribunals, International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism on Syria (IIIM), civil society and governments took part in the debates during the two-day conference.
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La Fondation Wayamo et le Programme pour la promotion de l’État de Droit en Afrique subsaharienne de la Fondation Konrad Adenauer (KAS) ont organisé une conférence internationale intitulée : « Justice pour les crimes internationaux : enjeux et stratégies en Afrique de l’Ouest et ailleurs » le 25 et 26 octobre 2021 à Dakar.
Veuillez télécharger le programme ici et toutes les photos de la conférence ici.
Plus de 90 experts et participants de la Cour pénale internationale, des Nations Unies, de l’Union africaine, des Chambres africaines extraordinaires au Sénégal, du Mécanisme international chargé d’exercer les fonctions résiduelles des Tribunaux pénaux, du Mécanisme international, impartial et indépendant sur la Syrie (IIIM), de la société civile et de gouvernements ont pris part aux débats pendant ces deux jours de conférence.

Training sessions for prosecutors from Nigeria’s Complex Casework Group (CCG) focusing on their new case-filing system
2021-09-14 08:00 - 2021-09-21 17:00
Between 14 – 21 September 2021, the Wayamo Foundation held a series of training sessions for prosecutors from Nigeria’s Complex Casework Group (CCG) focusing on their new case-filing system and the use of Intella software for evidence management.

The series of small-group sessions were held online, and featured instruction from Kris Kotarski, Digital Programmes Manager, Wayamo Foundation and Rebeka Juhosová, legal researcher and data-management expert. Raphael George, the CCG’s in-house digitisation expert, also assisted in the training, which delivered tailor-made instruction to small teams prosecutors nominated by the CCG.
Over the span of a week, 18 CCG members received hands-on training on Intella software, which included a mix of individual and group exercises focusing on adding new cases, building a searchable database, and using Intella’s search tools to find connections in uploaded documents. The sessions focused on helping prosecutors with different levels of computer skills to gain the confidence to use digital tools when building terrorism cases.
The CCG is a specialised unit coming under the Directorate of Public Prosecutions at the Ministry of Justice. Together, the Wayamo Foundation and the CCG are creating an electronic case-file database to serve as a repository for terrorism files and their corresponding judgements. This database will also serve to build more complex cases which may address international crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Wayamo’s bespoke training sessions for Nigeria’s CCG will continue in October and November 2021.

Workshop with members of the Serious Crimes Response Team
2021-08-11 08:00 - 2021-08-13 17:00
Wayamo hosted its first capacity-building programme for members of the proposed Serious Crimes Response Team (SCRT) on 25 May 2021. The second SCRT training session took place over the span of three days: from 11 to 13 August 2021, participants and local experts gathered at Epe Resort in Lagos, with some international experts joining via Zoom. The goal was two-fold: on the one hand, to further enhance team members’ knowledge of and expertise in relevant topics relating to international criminal law and international humanitarian law; and on the other, to explore the next practical steps to be taken towards ensuring that the SCRT takes shape as projected and eventually becomes fully functional and operational.

Workshop with members of the Complex Casework Group
2021-08-09 08:00 - 2021-08-10 17:00
The creation of an electronic case-file database: case-filing system, ICC criminality assessment form and Intella.
From 9 to 11 August 2021, the Wayamo Foundation held a workshop on the creation of an electronic case-file database within Nigeria’s Complex Casework Group (CCG), covering aspects ranging from the case-filing system to a purpose-designed ICC criminality assessment form and optimal use of Intella software. The workshop in Epe, Lagos followed a hybrid model, with CCG members and local experts attending in person, and international experts joining the event via Zoom.
The CCG is a specialised unit coming under the Directorate of Public Prosecutions at the Ministry of Justice. Together, the Wayamo Foundation and the CCG are creating an electronic case-file database to serve as a repository for terrorism files and their corresponding judgements. This database will also serve to build more complex cases which may address international crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Wayamo meets with Minister of Justice in Sudan
2021-06-23 08:00 - 2021-06-29 17:00 | Khartoum, Sudan
Bettina Ambach, Director of the Wayamo Foundation, travelled to Khartoum from 23 to 29 June to meet with local actors working in the field of justice and accountability in Sudan. The aim of this visit was to offer Wayamo’s assistance in the heady work of achieving justice for international crimes committed under the Bashir regime.
Bettina Ambach met with Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari to discuss the most pressing justice needs in Sudan and capacity-building programming for Sudanese investigators, prosecutors and judges. The Director of the Wayamo Foundation also met with civil society groups working in the transitional justice field, UNITAMS representatives and Embassy officials in Khartoum.

Capacity building of civil and military investigators and prosecutors in Nigeria
2021-05-24 08:00 - 2021-05-25 17:00
The Wayamo Foundation organised a training workshop for military investigators, prosecutors and legal practitioners in Abuja from 24-25 May 2021. The Abuja workshop followed a hybrid model, with participants attending in person, and the majority of the experts -both international and Nigerian- joining the event via Zoom.

In previous Wayamo workshops, representatives of the Nigerian Navy, Army and Air Force discussed the possibility of setting up a highly specialised unit of military investigators and prosecutors, who would be specifically trained to investigate and prosecute alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, both of which potentially fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Over the coming months, Wayamo will therefore be drawing up and implementing tailor-made capacity-building programmes for members of the proposed Serious Crimes Response Team (SCRT).

Media engagement on “Networking for justice and accountability”
2021-05-21 08:00 - 17:00 | Abuja, Nigeria
On 21 May, Wayamo held its third in a series of media engagements for selected journalists who work on issues pertaining to international criminal justice and accountability.
The objective of these meetings is to strengthen reporting skills and build knowledge on critical justice-related issues affecting the region, ranging from the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Nigeria to security challenges and the domestic prosecution of alleged Boko Haram suspects.
The ultimate goal of these engagements is to raise awareness about the importance, not only of accountability for core international crimes on all sides, but also about the role and need for responsible, knowledgeable and accurate journalism.
The workshop followed the same hybrid model, with the participants attending in person in Abuja and the majority of the experts joining us via Zoom.

The creation of an electronic case-file database
2021-05-17 08:00 - 17:00
On 17 May, Wayamo held a workshop on the creation of an electronic case-file database and the usage of digital evidence in international criminal investigations.
The Wayamo Foundation together with the Complex Casework Group (CCG) are jointly creating an electronic case-file database to serve as a repository for terrorism files and their corresponding judgements. This database will also serve to build more complex cases which may address international crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
The workshop followed a hybrid model, with the participants in Abuja and the majority of the experts -both international and Nigerian- joining us via Zoom. Topics addressed covered case-file metadata analysis, evidence management, and the usage of digital evidence in international criminal investigations.

Second specialist media engagement in Abuja
2021-02-09 08:00 - 17:00
On 9 February, Wayamo hosted its second media engagement for journalists who work on issues pertaining to international criminal justice and accountability. The event followed a hybrid model, with journalists attending from Abuja, Nigeria, and the majority of the experts joining participants via Zoom.

Creation of an electronic case-file database within the Complex Casework Group
2021-02-05 08:00 - 17:00
On 5 February 2021, the Wayamo Foundation launched its next project: the creation of an electronic case-file database within the Complex Casework Group (CCG) under the Directorate of Public Prosecutions. The Abuja workshop followed a hybrid model, with CCG members attending in person, and the majority of the experts -both international and Nigerian- joining the event via Zoom.

Joint international criminal law and international humanitarian law course
2021-02-04 08:00 - 17:00
On 4 February 2021, the Wayamo Foundation and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) held their first joint international criminal law (ICL) and international humanitarian law (IHL) course in Abuja, Nigeria.

Precarity or prosperity: African perspectives on the future of the International Criminal Court
2020-12-08 08:00 - 17:00
The Wayamo Foundation and the Rule of Law Program for Sub-Saharan Africa of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung are proud to present:
PRECARITY OR PROSPERITY: AFRICAN PERSPECTIVES ON THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
This video gallery features a prestigious group of justice experts reflecting on what the future holds for the ICC in South Africa, the African continent, and beyond.

In the wake of the Final Report of the Independent Expert Group and in advance of this year’s Assembly of States Parties of the ICC, we hope that the reflections and commentaries in our video gallery ignite meaningful conversations.

You can find all the interviews at https://africanperspectives.wayamo.com/

Inter-agency collaboration in Nigeria
2020-11-02 08:00 - 17:00
Wayamo brought prosecutors and investigators together at one-day retreat in Abuja. The day-long retreat, Wayamo’s first COVID-tailored event — a hybrid design combining face-to-face attendance with pre-recorded and live online lectures — was held on 2 November in Abuja.

Specialist media engagement
2020-10-30 08:00 - 17:00
Specialist media engagement: Wayamo and Nigerian journalists spotlight justice and accountability in Nigeria
In full compliance with COVID-19 restrictions, Wayamo held a media engagement as part of its scheduled Nigeria programme. Attending the event in person were journalists from the Voice of Nigeria, News Agency of Nigeria, Nigerian Television Authority, Radio Nigeria, Hallow Mace Communications, TVS News and Premium Times.

International Justice Day
2020-07-17 08:00 - 17:00
This International Justice Day is like no other. The global justice community cannot come together to mark the occasion. The pandemic has grounded travel and brought economies to a halt. But atrocities continue to be perpetrated.
Times such as these call for reflection and creativity. The Wayamo Foundation and the Rule of Law Program for anglophone Sub-Saharan Africa of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung are proud to present Voices for International Justice, a video gallery featuring a prestigious cross-section of justice luminaries from around the world, reflecting on the greatest achievements, opportunities, and challenges facing international justice.

DAPO AKANDE – CHRISTINE ALAI – SHEHZAD CHARANIA – THIERRY CRUVELLIER – MARK DRUMBL – SILVIA FERNÁNDEZ DE GURMENDI – AMANDA GHAHREMANI – BETTY MURUNGI – NAVI PILLAY – LORRAINE SMITH VAN LIN – CHRISTIAN WENAWESER – ALEX WHITING

International justice symposium, University of Pretoria (postponed)
2020-07-16 - 2020-07-17 | Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Reviewing the record, forging forward: international criminal justice in Africa

The Wayamo Foundation, in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and with the NRF SARChi Chair in International Constitutional Law, University of Pretoria, will be organising an international justice symposium at the University of Pretoria.
Click here for more information.

Online Courses on Justice for Child Soldiers
2020-05-15 08:00 - 2020-07-15 17:00
In view of the constraints imposed by the current coronavirus pandemic, the Wayamo Foundation has met the challenge head-on by launching its first cyber workshop on “Justice for Child Soldiers: children in armed conflict and responses to terrorism-related crimes committed by children”.
The pilot two-month course will be given by a teaching team of six Nigerian and international experts, and is targeted at the specialised prosecutors who make up Nigeria’s Complex Case Group plus a handpicked group of military lawyers. The course format has been purpose-designed around an extended WhatsApp group with videos and Zoom live sessions.

Side Event - Assembly of States Parties
2019-12-03 | The Hague, Churchillplein 10, Den Haag, 2517 JW
The Wayamo Foundation hosted a side event at this year’s Assembly of States Parties to interrogate and debate the timing and duration of decision-making at the International Criminal Court. The event, ‘It’s about time – revisiting the timing and duration of decision-making at the International Criminal Court’, took place on 3 December 2019 at the World Forum.
Click here for the event summary and here for the pictures.

Abeokuta International Criminal Law Course and Training of Trainers
2019-11-26 - 2019-11-29 | Abuja, Nigeria
To supplement and sustain their ongoing capacity-building efforts in Nigeria, the Wayamo Foundation and the International Nuremberg Principles Academy held the first of two international criminal law courses with a training-of-trainers (ToT) component. The objective of the ToT programme is to support and further equip selected institutions with the necessary skills in and knowledge of international criminal law to pass on to their network of relevant legal actors around Nigeria.
Click here for the summary report and here for the pictures.

Combating transnational trafficking and migrant smuggling in East Africa
2019-07-29 08:00 - 2019-07-30 17:00 | Nairobi, Kenya
High level retreat and strategic Network meeting in Nairobi
In order to help enhance and build the capacity of East African investigators and prosecutors to address trafficking crimes, the Wayamo Foundation organised a high-level retreat on 29 July for the heads of their anti-trafficking units of Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania and the countries of the Horn of Africa.
On 30 July Wayamo organised a strategic meeting of the recently established “Network of Heads of Public Prosecutions and Criminal Investigations in the East African Region” (“East Africa Network”). The objective of the Network is to strengthen the criminal justice sector in East Africa by ensuring effective cross-border investigation and prosecution of complex crimes, and bolstering inter-agency collaboration at a national and regional level in manner that is consistent with the rule of law. The strategic meeting will have a presentation by an anti-trafficking expert on the challenges of combating trafficking and migrant smuggling in East Africa.

Capacity building of civil and military investigators and prosecutors in Nigeria
2019-06-24 08:00 - 2019-06-26 17:00 | Abuja, Nigeria
Following on from six previous workshops on “Strengthening Justice and Accountability in Nigeria” held over the course of 2017 and 2018, the Wayamo Foundation and the International Nuremberg Principles Academy organised a training workshop for civil and military investigators, prosecutors and legal practitioners in Abuja from 24-26 June 2019.
The overall objective of the workshops was to equip Nigerian prosecutors and investigators with the necessary expertise and skill set to address the most serious and complex crimes -international, transnational and terrorism-related- under Nigerian criminal law, including crimes that may potentially fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. The workshop addressed the key challenges faced by prosecutors and investigators. Specifically, prosecutors have, through numerous practical exercises and case scenarios, been guided on how to ensure that grave crimes are contained within the charge sheets. Investigators benefited from a list of recommendations and advice provided from experts as to how diversify types of evidence collected.
The training workshop was conducted for a combined group made up of key investigators and prosecutors, since one of the goals is to continue to encourage prosecution-guided investigations through joint investigation teams. The enhanced relationship of trust, facilitated through the workshop, with the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the Chief of Army Staff will continue to allow the identification of pending impunity gaps vis-à-vis these alleged crimes and help us propose remedial measures as regards their investigation and prosecution.

4th Annual Joan Kagezi Memorial Lecture
2019-04-17 14:00 - 17:00 | kampala, Uganda
4thANNUAL JOAN KAGEZI MEMORIAL LECTURE
17 April 2019
Kampala, Ugandac On 17 April 2019, the Wayamo Foundation, in partnership with the Ugandan Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), held the 4thAnnual Joan Kagezi Memorial Lecture in Kampala. The event was organised with the financial support of the European Union.
Click here for all pictures
The 4thAnnual Joan Kagezi Memorial Lecture focused on how national, regional and international actors can harness domestic and international law to better confront and combat impunity for terrorism. Joan Kagezi worked tirelessly to prosecute terrorist crimes but was killed in an act of terror. This made this year’s Annual Memorial Lecture especially timely, since states owe it to champions of justice like Kagezi, not only to bring terrorists to account, but also to develop the tools and effective capacity to investigate and prosecute terrorism.
The event was opened by Ugandan DPP Mike J. Chibita, the late Joan Kagezi’s children and Wayamo Foundation Director, Bettina Ambach. In referring to the ongoing investigation into the murder of Joan Kagezi, Mike Chibita pointedly announced that he was optimistic that,“by the time we have the 5th Joan Kagezi Memorial Lecture, the culprits will have appeared before the courts of law”. Adding a more poignantly personal note, Joan Kagezi’s daughter, Carol, said, “what made me very proud today is that Mummy did care a lot about victims and always talked to victims, like former rebel wives. It is humbling to see that, through our discussions today, her work is being taken a step further, and it feels like she’s contributing to the furtherance of the rule of law even after her death.” In Bettina Ambach opening remarks, she recalled that Joan Kagezi “was wonderful to work with, always eager to cooperate and collaborate with others. She devoted her life and ultimately lost it to the fight against terrorism. May we heed the lessons of her courage and work together to continue her battle – not with guns, but in the courts.”
The day’s keynote speech was given by Nicolas Guillou, Judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Chef de Cabinet to the President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. In it, he sought to provide some answers to the following three important questions: How can we define terrorism?; What can we do at the international level?; and finally,How can we investigate and prosecute at the national level? Remarkably, no universally accepted definition of terrorism currently exists under international law. Indeed, in the realm of international criminal law, only one international tribunal has ever prosecuted terrorism as an international crime, namely, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. In contrast, national courts have been able to pursue domestic accountability for acts of terrorism. Some states, such as Uganda, even have specialised units devoted to the investigation and prosecution of terrorist activities and have managed to bring some perpetrators to account. Nonetheless, a lacuna remains, and precisely because of this, terrorism is too rarely prosecuted as a crime against humanity or a war crime. Guillou concluded by giving different examples of how terrorism can be prosecuted as an ordinary and/or international crime at the domestic level.
The keynote speech was followed by remarks by Police Officer Tagoya Bernard, a survivor of the 2010 Kampala terror attack. His testimony led into a panel discussion featuring Philipp Ambach, Chief of the Victims Participation and Reparations Section in the Registry of the International Criminal Court, Justice Susan Okalany of the High Court, and John Ndungutse, Assistant Inspector General of Police. It fell to Deputy DPP Charles Elem Ogwal to moderate the discussion, during which the panellists debated how terrorism should be addressed using international, regional and national justice mechanisms and how the concerns of victims as well as the perceptions of the public should be taken into account in addressing terrorist activities and crimes. Justice Susan Okalany, Judge of the High Court said that it was “important to change our attitude towards terrorism. It is a grave offence, but in fighting it, we cannot use the same methods as the offender!”.
The symposium, which was attended by an audience of well over 450 that included Commonwealth Directors of Public Prosecutions, international and regional experts, civil society organisations, media, students and many local representatives of the justice sector, was fittingly brought to a close by the country’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Major General Kahinda Otafiire.
Click here for the full programme.

Meeting with Ghana Secretary to the Cabinet
2019-03-22 | Accra, Ghana
On 22 March 2019, Navi Pillay, Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) Member and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mohamed Chande Othman, AGJA Member and former Chief Justice of Tanzania and Hassan Bubacar Jallow, AGJA Chair and Chief Justice of The Gambia met with Ambassador Mercy Yvonne Debrah Karikari, Secretary to the cabinet of the government of Ghana.

International Symposium in Accra, Ghana
2019-03-21 - 2019-03-22 | Accra, Ghana
International Justice Symposium in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s Rule of Law Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa and with the support of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre and the School of Law of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration
21 – 22 March 2019
An intense, two-day look at West African International Justice – Leadership, Challenges, and Opportunities
Click here for the programme and here for the press release.
West Africa has been the scene of impressive activity in the fight against impunity for international crimes. Engagement with justice and accountability processes in West Africa thus merits scrutiny in its own right.
It was this that prompted the Wayamo Foundation, the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA)and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s Rule of Law Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa to hold a symposium in Accra, Ghana, on the wide-ranging topic of “West African International Justice – Leadership, Challenges, and Opportunities”, with the aim of examining and exploring the contributions and ongoing challenges facing West Africa in the fight to achieve meaningful justice and accountability for atrocities in the region. A handpicked group of international and regional experts came together to assess West Africa’s contributions to global justice and the continuing challenges to achieving this end.
Thursday 21st March 2019: International Symposium
Click here for the pictures.
Held at no lesser venue than Accra’s Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), the symposium was officially opened by Air Vice Marshal Griffiths S. Evans in his capacity as the Centre’s Commandant, followed by Wayamo Foundation Director,Bettina Ambach, Chief Justice of The Gambia and AGJA Chairman, Hassan Bubacar Jallow, German Ambassador, Christoph Retzlaff, and Peter Wendoh of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. These words of welcome were brought to a close by an appeal from Ghana’s Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, who felt that, rather than concentrating solely on the atrocity crimes committed by “political bigwigs” that are of such concern to the wider international community, attention should instead focus on the need for community-wide institutional arrangements to address the types of cross-border crimes that are currently plaguing the region.
This brief yet thought-provoking opening ceremony was followed by a conversation loosely structured around the topic of “Leadership, Challenges and Opportunities”,in which Wayamo moderator, Joseph Roberts-Mensah, guided his two guests, AGJA Members Zainab Bangura, Former UN Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, and Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, through a series of searching questions.
The remainder of the day was devoted to three panels which discussed topics ranging from “The International Criminal Court in West Africa: Complementarity in Action?” to “The Future of International Justice and Emerging Contexts in the Region” and “New Challenges and New Opportunities: Investigating Human Rights Violations and Atrocity Crimes in the Region”. Ably led by their Wayamo and AGJA moderators, Angela Mudukuti, Mohamed Othman Chande and Fatiha Serour, a team of panellists, all experts in their chosen fields, made brief presentations and then fielded questions from the floor. Sometimes coinciding, sometimes diverging, the opinions voiced reflected the panellists’ respective experiences: as human rights activists, e.g., Elise Keppler and Reed Brody, both from Human Rights Watch, Eric-Aimé Semien from the Ivory Coast Human Rights Observatory, and Adama K. Dempster from the Liberian Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform; as legal practitioners, e.g., Nigerian Complex Casework Group prosecutor, Matthew Odu Una, Philipp Ambach, Chief of the Victims Participation and Reparations Section at the International Criminal Court (ICC), and Kenyan High Court Advocate and AGJA Member, Betty Kaari Murungi; and as academics, e.g., Kwesi Aning, Director of KAIPTC’s Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research.
The symposium was attended by an audience of well over 80, which included AGJA members and Ghanaian Special Prosecutor, Cynthia Lamptey.
Friday 22nd March 2019: Lecture and discussion
Click here for the pictures.
The following day saw a very different kind of event, in the shape of a lecture and discussion on “Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking” at the Faculty of Law, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. The proceedings were formally opened by Justice (Sir) Dennis Adjei, Dean of the Law School, accompanied by Victor Brobby and Edmund Foley, Heads of the Private and Public Law Departments respectively.
Coming from a sociological and humanitarian background in the case of Rahel Gershuni, UNODC Consultant and former Israeli National Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinator, and from a legal background in the case of Philipp Ambach, Chief of the ICC’s Victims Participation and Reparations Section, the two tackled this troubling and all too common phenomenon, whose tragic effects are now being felt in almost every corner of the world. Issues such as underlying values, practical tools, victim consent, and the feasibility of prosecuting trafficking as an international as opposed to a national crime were just some of the aspects covered before the subject was opened to the floor. As expected, the topic aroused passions, and the questions and comments were both vigorous and heartfelt. The event was seen as timely and hailed as a success by participants and speakers alike.
A round of courtesy visits
Click here for the pictures.
Aside from its schedule of public events, the AGJA had very fruitful meetings with the President of Ghana and the Cabinet Secretary, during which the Africa Group’s mission and activities were discussed. The President expressed his full support for AGJA and its quest for justice and accountability across the region, and expressed his desire to remain engaged with Wayamo and AGJA in the future.
