ABUAD deputy VC appointed international professor at University of Pennsylvania

Frontline international law expert and Deputy Vice Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Professor Damilola Olawuyi (SAN) has been appointed as a BOK Visiting International Professor (VIP) by the prestigious University of Pennsylvania for the 2022/2033 academic year.

The Bok Visiting International Professors (VIPs) are distinguished senior academics, jurists, internationally recognised experts or professionals across a wide range of disciplines and specialties who are invited every year from across the world to Philadelphia, United States to mentor students and offer global perspectives on cutting-edge issues in international and comparative law.

Speaking on the development, Professor Theodore W. Ruger, the Dean and Bernard G. Segal Professor of Law at the Penn Carey Law School, University of Pennsylvania, noted that “Penn Carey Law annually invites several internationally recognized experts in international and comparative law from around the world to Philadelphia to serve as Bok.

“The Bok Professor program is an expression of our commitment to interacting with the most dynamic and important legal thinkers across a broad range of topics throughout the world. It is an honor for our students and our faculty that you will consider joining us to share the benefit of your experience,” they said.

Professor Olawuyi, a prolific scholar and Senior Advocate of Nigeria with expertise in petroleum, mining, energy, environment, business, human rights and public international law, has published over 150 articles, book chapters and books on all aspects of sustainable development in the extractive industries and has served as a consultant to the United Nations, World Bank as well as the UK’s Department for International Department, among others.

He is global Vice Chair of the International Law Association (ILA), Vice President of the Nigerian Branch of the ILA and member of the International Bar Association’s academic advisory group on energy, environment and natural resources.He has delivered lectures on energy law in over 40 countries in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In 2019, he received the Herbert Smith Freehills Visiting Professorship at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

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In July, Professor Olawuyi was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to represent Africa on the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights. Earlier in 2020, he was appointed by the African Union (AU) to serve on the AU Working Group on Extractive Industries, Environment and Human Rights Violations, while in 2021, he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as a member of the Governing Board of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

While at the University of Pennsylvania, Professor Olawuyi will teach a course on “Energy Justice and Sustainable Development” and participate in university wide activities and events related to international and comparative law.

Speaking on his appointment, Professor Olawuyi, SAN said “It is an absolute privilege and honour to be invited to serve as a BOK VIP at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. The practice of international and comparative law is strengthened through active knowledge exchange, ideas cross-fertilization, and North-South scientific cooperation that innovative programs such as the BOK VIP program provide.

“I thank the Penn Carey Law School for the opportunity, and I look forward to working with the students, faculty and administration in advancing innovative research, teaching and community engagement on energy, environment sustainable development and business and human rights law,” he added.