32st Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition

The 32nd edition of the Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition brought together 47 teams from 14 African countries in Kumasi, Ghana. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from 3 – 9 September 2023 hosted the biggest gathering since before covid.

The competition started with preliminary rounds, during which 36 anglophone, 9 francophone, and 2 lusophone teams argued both sides of the hypothetical case. After rigorous arguments, ultimately 3 anglophone teams and 1 francophone team made it through to the finals.

The 3 anglophone finalist teams to advance from the semi-final rounds were: Kenyatta University (Kenya), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana), and University of Nairobi (Kenya). Université Thomas Sankara (Burkina Faso) emerged as the top team in the francophone stream.

A unique feature of the Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition is that the moot ceases to be a university-focused competition in the final. Instead, the final aims to be a collaborative endeavour to challenge teams to work together beyond the colonial language divides and legal traditions. Finalists are paired into two combined teams with one combined team arguing the applicant’s case and the other the respondent State’s case.

The University of Nairobi and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology formed the combined team that represented the Applicant. The respondent was represented by Kenyatta University and Université Thomas Sankara, who emerged as the winners.

The two opposing teams appeared before a bench of five eminent jurists that was chaired by Justice Dr Ernest Owusu-Dapaa, judge of the Court of Appeal of Ghana. The other four judges were Justice Sylvain Oré (former President of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights), Hon. Wilson Adão (member of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child), Professor Laurence Burgorgue-Larsen (Professor of Law, Université Paris 1) and Advocate Clàudio Foquiço (Attorney and Vice President of the Human Rights Commission of the Bar Association of Mozambique). At the end of the moot court competition the Dean of the faculty of law, University of Pretoria, Professor Elsabe Schoeman, gave closing remarks and thanked all the stakeholders, participants and organisers who contributed in making the event a success.

2023 Documents

Hypothetical Case
Official Rules
Memorial Cover
Programme
Winning memorial (Applicant)
Winning memorial (Respondent)

Memorial ranking

English-speaking teams

University	Country
1. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology	Ghana
2. University of South Africa	South Africa
3. Kenyatta University	Kenya
4. University of Cape Town	South Africa
5. University of Nairobi	Kenya
6. University of the Witwatersrand	South Africa
7. University of Fort Hare	South Africa
8. Stellenbosch University	South Africa
9. Uganda Christian University	Uganda
10. University of Lagos	Nigeria
11. University of Cape Coast	Ghana
12. Makerere University	Uganda
13. Moi University	Kenya
14. Muslim University of Morogoro	Tanzania
15. Rhodes University	South Africa
16. University of Calabar	Nigeria
17. Kabarak University	Kenya
18. University of Ghana	Ghana
19. University of the Free State	South Africa
20. University of Johannesburg	South Africa
21. Nelson Mandela University	South Africa
22. Great Zimbabwe University	Zimbabwe
23. University of Lusaka	Zambia
24. Midlands State University	Zimbabwe
25. Tshwane University of Technology	South Africa
26. Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration	Ghana
27. Obafemi Awolowo University	Nigeria
28. Bayero University Kano	Nigeria
29. University of Botswana	Botswana
30. Haramaya University	Ethiopia
31. University of Pretoria	South Africa
32. University of Ilorin	Nigeria
33. University of Zimbabwe	Zimbabwe
34. University of Venda	South Africa
35. Wisconsin International University College	Ghana
36. University of the Western Cape	South Africa
37. Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone	Sierra Leone
38. University of Ibadan	Nigeria
39. University of Benin	Nigeria
40. Ambrose Alli University	Nigeria
41. Adekunle University Akungba Akoko, Ondo State	Nigeria
42. Nnamdi Azikiwe University	Nigeria
43. Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University	Zimbabwe
44. Dire Dawa University	Ethiopia
45. Ebonyi State University	Nigeria
46. University of Gondar	Ethiopia
47. Imatt College	Sierra Leone

French-speaking teams

Université	Pays
1. Université Numérique Cheik Hamidou Kane	Sénégal
2. Université Catholique de Bukavu	RD Congo
3. Centre Universitaire de Banfora	Burkina Faso
4. Université Thomas Sankara	Burkina Faso
5. Institut Universitaire d’Abidjan	Côte d’Ivoire
6. Université Peleforo Gon Coulibaly de Korhogo	Côte d’Ivoire
7. Université Officielle de Bukavu	RD Congo
8. Institut Supérieur de Droit International et des Droits de l'Homme	Burkina Faso
9. Institut International Polytechnique des Élites d'Abidjan	Côte d’Ivoire
10. Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny d'Abidjan-Cocody	Côte d’Ivoire
11. Swiss Umef University of Burkina Faso	Burkina Faso

Portuguese-speaking teams

Universidade	País
1. Universidade Eduardo Mondlane	Moçambique
2. Instituto Superior De Ciências E Tecnologias De Moçambique (ISCTEM)	Moçambique

Oral presentation ranking

English-speaking teams

University	Country
1. University of Cape Town	South Africa
2. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology	Ghana
3. University of the Witwatersrand	South Africa
4. Kenyatta University	Kenya
5. Makerere University	Uganda
6. University of Nairobi	Kenya
7. University of Cape Coast	Ghana
8. University of Lusaka	Zambia
9. University of Ghana	Ghana
10. University of Fort Hare	South Africa
11. University of Lagos	Nigeria
12. Nelson Mandela University	South Africa
13. Stellenbosch University	South Africa
14. Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone	Sierra Leone
15. University of Pretoria	South Africa
16. University of Ilorin	Nigeria
17. Rhodes University	South Africa
18. University of Botswana	Botswana
19. University of Johannesburg	South Africa
20. University of Zimbabwe	Zimbabwe
21. University of South Africa	South Africa
22. Kabarak University	Kenya
23. Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration	Ghana
24. Obafemi Awolowo University	Nigeria
25. Nnamdi Azikiwe University	Nigeria
26. University of the Western Cape	South Africa
27. Midlands State University	Zimbabwe
28. Ambrose Alli University	Nigeria
29. Ebonyi State University	Nigeria
30. University of the Free State	South Africa
31. Bayero University Kano	Nigeria
32. Dire Dawa University	Ethiopia
33. Wisconsin International University College	Ghana
34. University of Venda	South Africa
35. Haramaya University	Ethiopia

French-speaking teams

Université	Pays
1. Université Thomas Sankara	Burkina Faso
2. Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny d'Abidjan-Cocody	Côte d’Ivoire
3. Université Peleforo Gon Coulibaly de Korhogo	Côte d’Ivoire
4. Université Catholique de Bukavu	RD Congo
5. Institut Supérieur de Droit International et des Droits de l'Homme	Burkina Faso
6. Centre Universitaire de Banfora	Burkina Faso
7. Institut International Polytechnique des Elites d'Abidjan	Côte d’Ivoire
8. Institut Universitaire d’Abidjan	Côte d’Ivoire
9. Swiss Umef University of Burkina Faso	Burkina Faso

Portuguese-speaking teams

Universidade	País
1. Universidade Eduardo Mondlane	Moçambique
2. Instituto Superior De Ciências E Tecnologias De Moçambique (ISCTEM)	Moçambique