Law School colleagues and alumni attended the launch of the Warwick Africa Hub last month on Monday 20 June 2022, in support of its initiatives.

Professor Sharifah Sekalala and Professor Ann Stewart (who both sit on the Hub’s steering committee) were invited to speak at the event on the Warwick’s Partnerships in Africa Panel. They were delighted to be joined by Ms Bience Gawanas, one of the Law School’s most distinguished and inspiring African female graduates, back at Warwick after many years.

Ms Gawanas came to Warwick as a refugee to undertake her legal studies as part of a scholarship scheme, having been exiled from her home country of Namibia due her activities in support of the anti-apartheid struggles in South Africa. She graduated in 1987 and qualified as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in 1988.

Since her return to Namibia, Bience has made a huge contribution to her own country’s development and to the African region more generally. She has championed human rights, women’s rights and the development of social welfare in particular, both in her own country and throughout Africa.

She was elected for two terms (2003-2012) as Commissioner for Social Affairs at the African Union where she fought to increase the profile of social development issues within the region. She returned to Namibia to become Special Advisor to the Minister of Health and Social Affairs. In 2018 she was appointed as UN Under Secretary-General with responsibility for Africa.

She continues to be a great inspiration for us all.

About the Warwick Africa Hub

Africa is undergoing a remarkable period of economic and social transformation, with higher education playing a key role. Through deepening our understanding of priorities and development needs of our partners Warwick is building collaborations rooted in principles of equality and mutually beneficial engagement.

The Hub is hosted within IAS, which focuses on advancing new research ideas, unconstrained by disciplinary boundaries. Its ambition is for collaborations that extend beyond universities to include non-governmental organisations, international institutions, private research institutes and private sector bodies.

Ms Bience Gawanas is a member of the Hub’s External Advisory Board along with fellow Law School alumnus Professor Florens Luoga who is currently Governor of the Central Bank of Tanzania and former Deputy VC of the University of Dar es Salaam.