About the programme

The Master's of Law (LLM) degree in International Trade and Investment Law in Africa is the first of its kind to be offered in Africa. It establishes a higher education and training programme based in and focused on, Africa with full exposure to the international world of trade and investment.

The degree was developed under the auspices of the Centre for Human Rights and is presented by the University of Pretoria and the University of the Western Cape(UWC) in partnership with Makerere University in Uganda, American University Washington College of Law in the USA and the University of Amsterdam and Erasmus University in the Netherlands.

The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria is pleased to announce that from 2017, its prestigious LLM in International Trade and Investment Law in Africa will commence in January 2017 instead of July as was the case in previous years. This change has been made in order to enrich the LLM programme and to make it more responsive to new developments in international trade and investment law, including the growing body of international norms and standards dealing with business and human rights  and the growing recognition by business of their social and environmental responsibilities.

As a result of the change in the timing, the LLM students will now have the opportunity to interact with the students and lecturers of other master’s programmes in the Centre for Human so that both groups can understand the evolving international approaches to human rights, social and environmental responsibilities of business and their implications for international lawyers.

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How to apply for the 2027 intake: University of Pretoria

Please note: The LLM (International Trade and Investment Law in Africa) programme will be taking place at the University of the Pretoria, South Africa in  2027 and applications for the 2027 intake at the University of Pretoria will open on 1 April 2026.

Course duration and schedule

• 2026  intake: January - December 2026
  University of the Western Cape, South Africa
  
  
• 2027  intake: January - December 2027
  University of Pretoria, South Africa
  

For more information on the application process for the 2025 intakes, please contact