Lassané Ouedraogo | Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
LLB in Public Law (Université Nazi Boni, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso); LLM in International Public Law (Université Thomas SANKARA, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso)
Lassané Ouedraogo is the Acting Coordinator of the LLM in International Trade and Investment Law in Africa (TILA) at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria. He is also pursuing an LLD at the university’s Faculty of Law, under the NRF SARChI Chair for International Constitutional Law. Lassané holds an LLB from the Université Nazi Boni and an LLM in International Public Law from the Université Thomas Sankara, both in Burkina Faso. He also earned an LLM in International Trade and Investment Law in Africa from the University of Pretoria. His academic and professional interests include International Public Law, International Environmental Law, Trade and Investment, and Business and Human Rights. Professors Magnus Kilander and Sâ Benjamin Traoré supervise his doctoral research. It focuses on examining the climate change responsibilities of transnational corporations.
Tel: +27 (0)12 420 5296
lassane.ouedraogo@up.ac.za
Palesa Mogosetso | Junior Project Officer, Children’s Rights Unit
BA LAW(UP), LLB (UP)
Palesa Mogosetso is a dedicated legal professional with a passion for human rights, particularly the rights of women and children. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Criminology (BA Law) and an LLB degree from the University of Pretoria. She is currently pursuing a Master of Laws (LLM) in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Africa at the Centre for Human Rights.
Palesa serves as a Junior Project Officer within the Centre’s Children’s Rights Unit, where she contributes to advancing the rights and welfare of children across the continent. Her academic background and practical experience have shaped her commitment to using the law as a tool for social justice, focusing on issues such as child protection, gender equality, and access to sexual and reproductive health rights.
Nomusa Nkwanyana
MA (International Relations) / MA (IR) – University of Witwatersrand
Nomusa Nkwanyana is a Programme Associate within the Democracy and Civic Engagement Unit at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria. In this role, she contributes to strengthening democratic participation, civic engagement, and constitutional literacy across Africa, with a focus on enhancing the participation of civil society and citizens in key continental governance mechanisms, such as the Pan-African Parliament and the African Peer Review Mechanism.
Nomusa holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her professional experience spans academia, trade unions, research, policy-making, and advocacy, with a strong track record of working in sectors including energy, agriculture, informal economies, and labour rights. She has collaborated with leading consultancy firms both locally and globally, focusing on social impact, community needs assessments, and strategies for advancing human rights and labour protections.
Her work is underpinned by a deep commitment to justice, equity, feminism, and the decolonial project. She is particularly passionate about amplifying the voices of women, young people, and marginalized communities within governance structures and policy-making spaces. Across her engagements in South Africa and the broader Southern African region, Nomusa has contributed to initiatives that promote inclusive development, worker rights, and meaningful civic participation.
Nomusa brings to her work a nuanced understanding of the intersections between governance, social justice, and economic development in Africa, as well as a dedication to fostering participatory and accountable institutions rooted in the lived realities of the continent’s people.
Angelene Michielsen works as an Intern in the Women’s Rights Unit at the Centre for Human Rights. She completed her BA Law degree in 2021, her LLB degree in 2023 and is currently pursuing an LLM in Human Rights. She also work part‑time in the litigation team at a law firm.
