Foreign investment or exploitation? African Bar Conference opens in Accra with bold calls for legal sovereignty
By DL News
Published
2 min read
The event brings together judges, lawyers, government officials, policymakers and academics from across Africa to assess whether foreign involvement on the continent is driving development or deepening dependency. This is the second time Gh...
A major continental debate on Africa’s economic sovereignty has taken centre stage in Accra as the 2025 Annual Conference of the African Bar Association (AFBA) opened under the theme: “Foreign Interest in Africa: Exploitation or Investment.”
The event brings together judges, lawyers, government officials, policymakers and academics from across Africa to assess whether foreign involvement on the continent is driving development or deepening dependency. This is the second time Ghana has hosted the conference since the year 2000.
Opening the gathering, Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie described Accra as “a city where history and hope intertwine,” urging participants to critically examine Africa’s engagement with global powers.
He said Africa may have won political freedom, but is still battling for economic and intellectual independence.
“When we speak of foreign interest in Africa, we confront a vast and complex web of influence,” he said, warning that external actors often shape national policies “under the guise of cooperation.”
Despite holding 30% of the world’s minerals, 40% of gold and 12% of global oil reserves, Africa is still wrongly regarded as poor, he said.
“It is not exploitation alone that impoverishes us,” he argued. “It is misgovernance.”
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie called on African governments to renegotiate contracts, invest in domestic legal capacity and ensure greater local participation in the extractive sector.
“The law is not merely an instrument of order,” he declared. “It is the architecture of justice—and justice is the foundation of sovereignty.”
In a second keynote, Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine announced government support for the conference, including a US$30,000 sponsorship package for 100 young lawyers.
Dr Ayine described Africa as standing “at a historic crossroads,” rich in resources yet trapped by structural inequalities and unfavourable contract terms. He said the goal was not to reject foreign investment, but to “redefine the terms of engagement.”
“Too often, contracts written in foreign capitals become instruments for siphoning our resources,” he said, criticising tax waivers and stabilization clauses that mortgage Africa’s future.
However, he noted that “not all foreign interests are exploitative,” urging the continent to attract investment that builds infrastructure, creates jobs and transfers technology.
He warned that corruption remains a major obstacle, pushing lawyers to take a stand as custodians of justice and accountability.
Earlier, AFBA President High Chief Ibrahim Eddie Mark welcomed delegates and called for a united legal front to confront systems that perpetuate underdevelopment. He said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), headquartered in Accra, could be a game-changer if effectively leveraged.
Over the coming days, the conference will host panel sessions and debates on governance, arbitration, trade, sustainable development and legal reform. A key focus will be strengthening Africa’s legal frameworks to ensure resource wealth benefits the continent’s citizens.
Declaring the conference open, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie urged delegates to move beyond theory.
