Accra, Ghana – Stella Anukam, a former director of special programs at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, has been re-elected as a Judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. She was first elected in July 2018 for a six-year term.
Justice Anukam was re-elected at the African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting Executive Council in Accra, Ghana, on Friday, having polled 47 votes to defeat the candidates from Uganda and the Central African Republic, who scored 46 votes each. Speaking to newsmen after the victory, she said the court has delivered landmark judgments since its establishment.
The African Court was established by the Ouagadougou Protocol in 1998 and became operational in 2006. It was designed by the African Union (AU) to protect human and peoples’ rights. It consists of 11 judges, who are nominated by member states of the AU and elected by the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
Justice Anukam earned her law degree from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, in 1984, and was called to the Nigerian Bar in August 1985. The African Court judge is also a chartered secretary, chartered arbitrator, and seasoned administrator.
With over 38 years of professional legal experience, Justice Anukam serves as a member of several professional bodies, including the Panel of Conciliators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the International Bar Association (IBA), the African Bar Association, the International Federation of Female Lawyers, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators (ICSA) London, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and the Institute of Professional Negotiators and Mediators.
