Published October 02, 2026
Qarah Institute is set to convene the maiden edition of its International Lawyering Dialogues this October, bringing together experienced African lawyers with extensive careers in international organisations to reflect on the practice, demands and evolving future of international lawyering. The webinar series is designed as a platform for professional learning and knowledge exchange, with particular emphasis on the lived experiences of African legal practitioners who have built careers within international organisations and across the international legal landscape.
The inaugural edition will feature two distinguished African international lawyers, Edward Chukwuemeke Okeke and Prof. Edward Kwakwa, whose careers have spanned several major international institutions.
Mr. Edward Chukwuemeke Okeke, an Adjunct Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, has held senior legal and advisory positions with the United Nations, UNESCO and the World Bank Group over a career spanning more than three decades, from 1992 to 2025.
He is also the author of Law and Lawyering in International Organisations, published in Unity in Diversity: Perspectives on the Law of International Organizations by Brill in 2025. The chapter provides an important intellectual foundation for the International Lawyering Dialogues and informs the series’ examination of the nature and demands of legal practice within international organisations.
The second speaker, Prof. Edward Kwakwa, is Assistant Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), where he oversees the Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector. Prof. Kwakwa joined WIPO in 1996 and has served the organisation for three decades, progressing to become its first and only Ghanaian Assistant Director General. His earlier international experience includes senior legal advisory positions with the World Trade Organization, UNHCR and the Commission on Global Governance.
His participation in the Dialogues comes as he prepares to conclude his long tenure at WIPO later this year, providing an opportunity for participants to benefit from reflections on his career, international legal practice and the changing demands placed on lawyers working within global institutions.
The first session, featuring Edward Chukwuemeke Okeke, is scheduled for 14 October 2026 at 1:30 p.m. GMT, while Prof. Edward Kwakwa will headline the second session on 27th October 2026 at 10:00 a.m. GMT.
The sessions are open to legal practitioners, young lawyers, law students, academics and other professionals interested in international law and careers within international organisations. Participation is free, subject to registration at www.qarahinstitute.com.
The International Lawyering Dialogues form part of Qarah Institute’s broader commitment to professional development, capacity building and thought leadership within Ghana’s legal services sector and beyond. The Institute is a Ghana-based training and professional development organisation focused on connecting legal knowledge with professional practice and the evolving demands of the legal services industry.
