Knowledge Production

The News and Events category publishes the latest News and Events relating to International Economic Law relating to Africa and the Global South. Every week, Afronomicslaw.org receive the News and Events in their e-mail accounts. The News and Events published every week include conferences, major developments in the field of International Economic Law in Africa at the national, sub-regional and regional levels as well as relevant case law. News and Events with a Global South focus are also often included.

What sets this collection apart is its drive to go beyond mere descriptions of IP frameworks in Africa and engage in a more thoughtful normative discussion. The contributors reject the notion that global IP norms are the unavoidable end goals. Instead, they critically examine these standards. This is especially relevant considering the powerful influence of the TRIPS Agreement (World Trade Organisation [WTO], 1994), which has largely dictated the contours of IP policy for African nations. The central thesis of the book—that IP should be regarded as a policy instrument rather than an unchangeable law—resonates with longstanding critiques, such as Peter Drahos and Joseph Stiglitz, but grounds them in the realities faced by contemporary African nations.