The visit to London in May by Nigerian and Sierra Leonean judges and law librarians was a great success. Thanks to financial assistance from the Rule of Law Expertise Programme (ROLE UK), managed by Advocates for International Development (A4ID), and UK Aid, we were able to host, from 12–17 October, the law librarians who had been unable to join us back in May. This was a continuation of the joint project between the ILBF, Africa House London, and the UK Sierra Leone Pro Bono Network to support law libraries with books, training and a mutual exchange of knowledge and insights. Law libraries provide essential resources for judges, lawyers and students, and have a dynamic role to play in legal education and the development of jurisprudence and the rule of law. This is as true in the UK as it is across the world.
Abubakar Karofi, Federal Capital Territory High Court Librarian; David Gbangaima, Judiciary of Sierra Leone Librarian; and Patricia Conteh, University of Sierra Leone Librarian, joined Emmanuel Finndoro-Obasi of Africa House London and Katrina Crossley of the ILBF for four days of meetings and observations.
The visitors met with peers from some of the finest law libraries in London and heard about the latest digital advances from law publishers. We are very grateful to the experts who kindly dedicated time and shared their insights with the visitors.
The programme included visits to the Inner Temple Library, the Royal Courts of Justice Library, Lincoln’s Inn Library, LexisNexis, and Thomson Reuters.
Huge thanks to:
- Lord Justice Dingemans, Senior President of Tribunals and ILBF Patron
- Rob Hodgson, Librarian at the Inner Temple
- Kathy Turner, Stephanie Curran, Nicholas Stock, Sam Bryan, and the Royal Courts of Justice Library and the Information Services Team
- Dunstan Speight, Librarian at Lincoln’s Inn
- Scott Wiles and Dara Akinyosoye at LexisNexis
- Katherine Brewer, Judith Hudson, and Constance Sutherland at Thomson Reuters
David Gbangaima said of the visit:
“[T]he facilitators demonstrated deep expertise in their area by giving us opportunities to ask questions and discuss issues on the use of law libraries. The training also offered the opportunity for knowledge sharing and peer learning.”
Patricia Conteh added:
“For me this is one of the most successful trainings I have attended to. The practicality of it, getting to see what obtains firsthand is one of the best approaches for deeper understanding and learning.’”
Abubakar Karofi reflected:
“The visit to London gave me a unique opportunity from which I took many insights and valuable experiences that I hope to draw on in my role.”
Emmanuel Finndoro-Obasi noted that:
“Law librarians are a crucial element to building capacity in the rule of law. They provide access to important materials for judges, lawyers, lawmakers, law students, and members of the public to have better understanding on specific matters. Law librarians are often overlooked during budget considerations, which leads to poor-quality libraries. We need to see more resources made available to law librarians to improve both physical and digital facilities.”
Katrina Crossley of the ILBF concluded:
“Partnerships like the ILBF, Africa House London and UK Sierra Leone Pro Bono Network programme can be incredibly effective in delivering impactful change. We are very grateful to the ROLE UK team and UKAid for their support in making this happen. The collective will behind the scenes to make this programme a success has been inspiring.”
There will be a number of exciting initiatives resulting from the trip which will enhance its impact and contribute to capacity-building in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The benefits from the exchanges that these visits facilitate cannot be overestimated—the impact will be measured over the coming months and years.
Watch a short video diary of the visit here.
L to R: Emmanuel Finndoro-Obasi, David Gbangaima, Lord Justice Dingemans, Patricia Conteh, Abubakar Karofi, at Inner Temple
You can read about the May visit here.
