Harmonizing OHADA and Common Law: Durham University and UCAD Launch Dual BA in African Legal Studies & Commercial Law

Cross-border investment under the AfCFTA frequently stalls when contracts drafted under Francophone OHADA business laws collide with Anglophone Common Law traditions. Durham University and the Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) Faculty of Law have solved this friction by creating the dual BA in African Legal Studies & Commercial Law.

The program trains students in bilingual legal drafting, cross-border commercial arbitration, intellectual property protection across OAPI and ARIPO, and foreign direct investment compliance.

"Pan-African commerce requires legal professionals who can draft an enforceable agreement that functions seamlessly in both Lagos and Dakar," said Maître Ousmane Ndiaye, Senior Legal Consultant. "Our dual BA with UCAD creates a new class of bilingual commercial law specialists driving continental trade harmonization."

Students graduate with two official Bachelor of Arts diplomas, granting them direct articulation into postgraduate LLM and international trade dispute careers.