‘Trade, investment, others should be rights-based across Africa’

For Nigeria and other parts of Africa to weather the raging economic storm, an independent expert of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights in Africa, Prof. Damilola Olawuyi, has advocated a rights-based approach to trade, investment, banking and business practices across the region.

The energy lawyer and global vice-chair of the International Law Association (ILA) stated this while speaking on a new book titled ‘Business and Human Rights Law and Practice in Africa’, published by Edward Elgar, United Kingdom and co-edited by Olawuyi and Oyeniyi Abe. Abe is a lecturer at the University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom and senior fellow in business and human rights law at the Institute for Oil, Gas, Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (OGEES Institute), Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria.

Olawuyi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), stated that a vast volume of literature has been generated on its application in Europe, North America, Asia and Latin America amongst others since the adoption of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in 2011.

According to him, what however remained absent for many years was an in-depth, exhaustive and book length exposition of the application of the UNGPs in African countries.

He added that the book fills a significant gap in this regard. “Since the adoption of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2011, a vast volume of literature has been generated on its application in Europe, North America, Asia and Latin America amongst others.

“This book fills a significant gap in this regard,” he said.

Olawuyi noted that this new book is the very first book-length examination of business and human rights law and practice in Africa.

While describing the book, Olawuyi noted that it unpacks good-fit and homegrown approaches for advancing business and human rights norms across Africa.