GIMPA Law Dean named keynote speaker for 2026 NYU African Law conference

The Dean of GIMPA Law School, Dr Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, has been selected to deliver the keynote address at the 2026 conference of the NYU African Law Association in New York.

Organisers say the event will focus on how legal professionals across Africa are using the law to drive social change, strengthen democratic governance and improve public accountability.

The conference, titled “Africa in Focus: Lawyering for Social Change and Good Governance,” is scheduled for 6 March 2026 at Furman Hall at New York University. It will run from 09:00 to 12:00 and is being held in partnership with the NYU Changemaker Centre.

Dr Agyeman-Budu’s appointment as keynote speaker is being seen as a significant moment for Ghanaian legal scholarship, placing the country prominently within a global conversation on reform-minded lawyering and institution-building across the continent.

In his role at GIMPA, he has been associated with legal education initiatives and policy-oriented thinking on governance, public administration and the practical links between law and development.

The organisers say discussions will examine how lawyers are positioning legal strategy as a lever for people-centred justice, sustainable development and stronger cooperation between African legal systems and international partners.

A panel of speakers from academia and practice is expected to contribute to the programme, including Alice Adu Gyamfi of DLA Piper, Jacqueline C A Dugard of Columbia University, Paolo Galizzi of Fordham Law, Themba Mahleka of NYU’s Pathfinders initiative, and Emerson J Sykes of the American Civil Liberties Union, who also teaches at NYU Law.

The forum is expected to attract students, scholars and practitioners, as well as policy stakeholders, with organisers highlighting growing interest in Africa’s governance direction and the expanding role of law in tackling contemporary social and institutional challenges.