LoadingLoadingLoadingLoadingAcademic LLM on AfCFTA and African dispute texts—not a call to any bar.
Online only
African trade law is practised as a stack of instruments that do not agree, plus a national gazette that arrived late. This academic LLM starts with that stack. You will parse a protocol, map a dispute pathway, and write a memorandum a ministry legal desk can use—without this university calling you to a bar or posting you to a secretariat. Thirty credits keep the award focused: sources and institutions, goods and origin, services and digital trade as law, and dispute settlement. African Future University requires honesty about audience: SME and rural trader facts belong in the memo because that is whose goods are delayed, not because the university litigates for them. The award is academic. It is not a practising certificate, not WTO counsel, and not AfCFTA Secretariat employment. It is for legally trained readers who must keep a citation honest when the unofficial translation is the one on the desk. You will compare a state-to-state pathway with a private commercial complaint that never reaches a panel, including SME delay facts. Identity-checked exams and a public-source memorandum close the 30-credit award. No bar call is issued. LLM African Trade Law and Dispute Settlement is taught as one award, not a list of unrelated modules. The published length is 18 months, and the credit total is 30. Students move from AfCFTA and REC Instruments as Public Texts through AfCFTA and REC Instruments as Public Texts; National Implementation and Conflict of Laws; Soft Law, Communiqués, and Citation Ethics; Tariffs, NTBs, and Legal Characterisation; Rules of Origin as Legal Tests; SME and Informal Trader Facts in Memos, and finish on Memorandum Structure. Each course has a question, a method, and a submission. In this field, students say who decides, under which rule, and draft a note a professional could read. Reading is a statute or instrument, a case or policy paper, and a commentary. The artefact a marker expects is a memo or draft clause with sources and a revision note. The award is built so that a graduate can do the following in practice: Cite AfCFTA and REC instruments accurately from public texts Map a dispute-settlement pathway without claiming counsel appointment Write a bilingual legal memorandum for a non-court audience Teaching assumes the student can read a source, attempt a problem before the seminar, and revise after feedback. Attendance at live seminars is part of the design. The capstone or final course must use the methods of the earlier courses; a project that ignores them does not pass. This course is academic. It does not admit the student to practise law and it is not a qualifying law degree. The pages for each course name the topics that are examined. Those topics are the syllabus. A brochure line is not a substitute for them.
Thirty credits, 18 months, examination fee 60. Identity-checked exams and a public-source memorandum. Not a call to any bar.
Study online
Tuition is free. Examinations are free. There is no exam fee. Study from anywhere in the world.
| Code | Course | Credits · hours |
|---|---|---|
| AFU921 | AfCFTA and REC Instruments as Public Texts Students explain who decides, under which rule, in one dispute or policy choice. The module is AfCFTA and REC Instruments as Public Texts.
| 3 |
| AFU922 | National Implementation and Conflict of Laws Students write both sides of a problem and say which facts would change the result. The module is National Implementation and Conflict of Laws.
| 3 |
| AFU923 | Soft Law, Communiqués, and Citation Ethics Students draft a policy note, clause, or briefing a professional could use. The module is Soft Law, Communiqués, and Citation Ethics.
| 3 |
| AFU924 | EN/FR Legal Drafting for Non-Court Audiences Students complete a supervised paper. This is not a qualifying law degree and does not confer a right of audience. The module is EN/FR Legal Drafting for Non-Court Audiences.
| 3 |
| Code | Course | Credits · hours |
|---|---|---|
| AFU925 | Tariffs, NTBs, and Legal Characterisation Students explain who decides, under which rule, in one dispute or policy choice. The module is Tariffs, NTBs, and Legal Characterisation.
| 3 |
| AFU926 | Rules of Origin as Legal Tests Students write both sides of a problem and say which facts would change the result. The module is Rules of Origin as Legal Tests.
|
| Code | Course | Credits · hours |
|---|---|---|
| AFU929 | State-to-State and Private Pathways Students explain who decides, under which rule, in one dispute or policy choice. The module is State-to-State and Private Pathways.
| 3 |
| AFU930 | Evidence, Translation, and Unofficial Texts Students write both sides of a problem and say which facts would change the result. The module is Evidence, Translation, and Unofficial Texts.
|
| Code | Course | Credits · hours |
|---|---|---|
| AFU933 | Legal Research Methods (Public Sources) Students explain who decides, under which rule, in one dispute or policy choice. The module is Legal Research Methods (Public Sources).
| 3 |
| AFU934 | Memorandum Structure Students write both sides of a problem and say which facts would change the result. The module is Memorandum Structure.
|
Modules are assessed through a published mix of coursework, applied projects, and examinations. Exam windows are announced in advance so students in other time zones are not forced into overnight sittings. Alternative arrangements are available where documented.
The published duration is 18 months. Teaching language: English + French assessment options. Actual time-to-complete depends on mode and any recognised prior learning.
This is a fully online award. You study from your country. No student visa and no campus relocation are required.
Degree tuition for this award is published as £0 / tuition-free on the online pathway. Examination or administrative fees may apply at checkout — never an annual tuition invoice. Check the Fees page for any extras.
Requirements are grouped on this page (academic, English, documents). Equivalent qualifications are considered. English may be waived after prior English-medium study.
Assessment is typically a mix of coursework, projects, and examinations. Doctoral awards include a thesis or dissertation and an oral examination. Details sit in the programme specification and module outlines.
Recognition of the award for local employment, professional licence, or ministry attestation is decided by your employer or regulator. African Future University publishes verification pages for certificates. We do not claim automatic equivalence in every country.
Start an application on this website. Progress is saved from the first step. Admissions: admissions@afutureuni.com.
Recognised & Accredited
| 3 |
| AFU927 | SME and Informal Trader Facts in Memos Students draft a policy note, clause, or briefing a professional could use. The module is SME and Informal Trader Facts in Memos.
| 3 |
| AFU928 | Customs Law Interfaces (Not a Licence) Students complete a supervised paper. This is not a qualifying law degree and does not confer a right of audience. The module is Customs Law Interfaces (Not a Licence).
| 3 |
| 3 |
| AFU931 | Digital Trade Clauses as They Are Written Students draft a policy note, clause, or briefing a professional could use. The module is Digital Trade Clauses as They Are Written.
| 3 |
| AFU932 | Ethics of Forum and Power Asymmetry Students complete a supervised paper. This is not a qualifying law degree and does not confer a right of audience. The module is Ethics of Forum and Power Asymmetry.
| 3 |
| 3 |
| AFU935 | Oral Defence on Poor Connectivity Students draft a policy note, clause, or briefing a professional could use. The module is Oral Defence on Poor Connectivity.
| 3 |
| AFU936 | Capstone: Trade-Law Memorandum Students complete a supervised paper. This is not a qualifying law degree and does not confer a right of audience. The module is Capstone: Trade-Law Memorandum.
| 3 |