Aluko & Oyebode, a top-tier full-service law firm in Nigeria, is set to co-host the International Law Association (Nigeria Branch) Africa Policy Dialogue alongside the International Law Association (Nigeria Branch), the Federal Ministry of Justice of Nigeria and the Nigeria Embassy in Vienna. The dialogue holds August 20, 2026, in Vienna, Austria as a high level side event during the 82nd Biennial Conference of the International Law Association (ILA).

Themed, “Peace, Prosperity and the Future of International Law: Geopolitics and Geoeconomics in a Fragmenting World,” the dialogue will convene senior government officials, diplomats, legal practitioners, policymakers, academics and institutional leaders to examine the geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts reshaping the world and their implications for Africa.

The event will open with remarks from Her Excellency, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, Ambassador of Nigeria to Austria; Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, Attorney-General of the Federation; Professor Damilola Olawuyi, SAN, President, International Law Association (Nigeria Branch); and Mr. Tunde Fagbohunlu, SAN, Senior Partner, Aluko & Oyebode.

Commenting on the significance of the dialogue, Professor Damilola Olawuyi, SAN, President of the ILA (Nigeria Branch), who is also the UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar, said:”As the international legal order adapts to an era of geopolitical and geoeconomic transformation, it is essential that Africa contributes not merely as a participant, but as a thought leader. The Vienna Policy Dialogue demonstrates the International Law Association (Nigeria Branch)’s commitment to fostering principled, practical and forward-looking solutions that strengthen multilateralism, enhance investment confidence, and promote sustainable development for the benefit of Africa and the wider international community.”

On Aluko & Oyebode’s participation as a co-host, Mr. Tunde Fagbohunlu, SAN, Senior Partner, Aluko &Oyebode, said:“In an era of geopolitical fragmentation, legal certainty has become a strategic economic asset. Businesses and investors depend on stable, predictable legal frameworks to make long-term decisions and manage cross-border risk. Aluko &Oyebode is proud to support this Policy Dialogue because meaningful engagement between governments, international institutions, business and the legal profession is essential to strengthening the rule of law, fostering investment confidence and advancing Africa’s economic integration and global competitiveness.”

The dialogue will feature two high-level panel discussions. The first session, “Africa Leaders’ Dialogue: Navigating Geopolitical and Geoeconomic Change – Africa’s Strategic Choices for Sustainable Development,” will be moderated by international journalist and Co-Founder of Moderate The Event, Femi Oke, and will feature Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; Mrs. Patience Okala, National Coordinator, Nigeria’s AfCFTA Coordination Office; Mr. Olivier Pognon, Director and Chief Executive Officer, African Legal Support Facility and Umaru Napoleon Koroma, Deputy Minister of Mines, Sierra Leone.

The second session, “The Role of International Law in a Fragmenting World,” will be moderated by Babatunde Fagbohunlu, SAN, Senior Partner, Aluko & Oyebode, and Dr. Eghosa Ekhator, Associate Professor of International Environmental Law, University of Derby. Panellists include Professor Olabisi Akinkugbe, Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law and Associate Professor at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University; Mr. Ahmed Essa Alsulaiti, President of the International Law Association – Gulf Cooperation Council Branch, lawyer and faculty member at the College of Law, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar; and Professor Marie-Claire Cordonnier Segger, Vice President, ILA Canada, and Chair in Sustainable Development Law and Policy at the University of Cambridge.