About Falas
The Federation of African Law Students is the unifying body of law students across the African continent.
FALAS is an international, non-partisan and forward-looking association that is wired towards building a united Africa and a common future.
FALAS is the formidable voice that seeks to promote and protect the interest of justice, fairness, equity and equality in Africa while ensuring at all times regardless of the prevailing circumstances that we are united on all frontiers.
As a unified student body, it is our primary objective to provide opportunities for African law students, bridge the existing gap,proffer viable solutions to their problems, build a network of outstanding students who who would collaborate towards a common future and ensure that African Law Students are attuned to new realities and global practices.
FALAS is also committed to building an emerging generation of young lawyers who are engaged in changing the narratives and adding value.
Objectives
1.To foster together as law students, Aspiration 3 of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and hence promote good governance, respect for human rights, peace and justice in Africa.
2.To be a hub for law students of diverse legal, cultural and religious backgrounds in the continent, to learn and lead an integrated legal community.
3. To build a platform that will facilitate international legal practice and professionalism for law students and young lawyers in Africa.
4.To bring African law students together as a common voice to ensure the attainment of a better Africa through advocacy.
5.Through our programs and projects, we will encourage the study of emerging and innovative fields of law across Universities in Africa.
6.To create an enabling platform for law students’ Unions/Associations/Societies in Africa to collaborate, share knowledge and promote unity amongst law students in Africa.
Mission
To build a united network of African law students who are equipped with the requisite exposure and knowledge and are committed to the development of the continent through connecting ideas, persons and resources
Vision
To create a platform where African law students are given an opportunity to interact and work towards building a formidable continental legal community
INTRODUCTION/HISTORY OF THE FEDERATION OF AFRICAN LAW STUDENTS ( FALAS)
The Federation of African Law Students (FALAS) is the apex and unifying umbrella body for undergraduate law students across the African continent. The Federation enjoys goodwill and bank on endorsements from the African Bar Association (AfBA), and other regional/national law bodies across the continent which we mutually collaborate with to foster our founding credo.
The Federation which espouses Pan-African virtues within the legal profession and beyond, harps on the need for collaborative and collective efforts amongst law students and other Africans of goodwill to unify the continent beyond preexisting divisions, and excellently mould the next generation of legal practitioners and thought leaders who will ensure the entrenchment of equality, justice and fairness in the continent; and also ensure optimal utilization of Africa’s unquantifiable human and natural endowments for the developmental projection of the continent within the global community.
The Federation was birthed from a strong desire by its founding members championed by Emmanuel Nwobodo (former National President of the Law Students Association of Nigeria) to create fusion and a unifying platform for undergraduate law students to productively interact on issues that orbit around the inculcation of rule of law in our respective jurisdictions, cross-jurisdictional analyses of topical legal issues peculiar to Africa, assuaging the practical and functional deficiencies identified in the legal curricula of several nations, and the imbibing of contemporary legal skills in view of Post-Covid realities.
With the letters sent out for a clarion call for a unified Africa by Amb. Emmanuel Nwobodo out to law student leaders/representatives across the continent to enjoin the creation of what is today known as FALAS, several virtual meetings were held, consequently bringing into its very first existence the creation of the FALAS Accord by her founding members.
The representatives of 13 founding member countries legally validated the FALAS Accord appending their signatures to the accord on the 15th of August 2020 which gave birth to her first-ever interim government and constitution draft committee, led by Nelly-Helen Ebruka.
The interim government saw to the drafting of the first charter of FALAS and also ensured the vigorous screening and appointment of her first ever International Executive Council. FALAS has since strongly pursued its founding objectives by widening its membership with the acceptance of more countries across the different subregions in the continent.
The Federation has continued to engage Africa’s policymakers on key continental issues relating to rule of law and human rights, and lends its voice to advocacy for education, gender equality, etc… in the continent.
Several career development programs have also been organized with reputable international facilitators for the professional growth of African law students.
On the 5th of September, 2021, the Federation held its maiden international conference in Accra, Ghana where key decision-makers from across the continent engaged in progressive deliberations on issues pertaining to leadership and justice in Africa.
Also, at the conference, the FALAS General Election was held which brought in Alfred Eli from UPSA Law School, Ghana as her 2nd International President, continuing on the existing protocols already laid down by the association’s founding president, Amb. Emmanuel Nwobodo.