Defend, Educate, Inform
The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) is an award-winning pan–African non-governmental organization (NGO) established in 1998 in Banjul, The Gambia and has diplomatic status.
IHRDA’s work is summarized by three pillars: Defend, Educate, Inform.
An African continent where human rights and access to justice are guaranteed to all by national, African, and international human rights mechanisms.
To strengthen human rights protection and promotion in Africa by:
Dedication, Integrity, Diligence, Innovation, Teamwork - “DID - IT”
IHRDA’s theory of change posits that an informed people, equipped with knowledge of the African human rights system and supported by well-trained technical experts, are better placed to advocate for compliance by state and non-state actors with their obligations under national, sub-regional, regional and international human rights norms, and to demand accountability and hold the African human rights system to efficiency and effectiveness, resulting in better human rights practice on the continent.
In 1998, in a small office in Banjul, two human rights lawyers—Julia Harrington Reddy and the late Alpha Fall—made a bold decision. Having worked inside the Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, they saw a powerful regional human rights system that was profoundly underused. They believed that if victims’ voices could reach the Commission, African jurisprudence could begin to shift. And so the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) was born—not simply to litigate cases, but to open the doors of Africa’s mechanisms to lawyers, defenders, and communities across the continent. As Julia often reflects, “We did not create new rights - we helped make the rights Africa already promised real for the people who needed them most.”
Nearly three decades later, that founding belief has evolved into a movement that has litigated numerous cases before regional mechanisms. A defining chapter of this journey has been IHRDA’s relentless push to make the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Mauput Protocol) a living reality for women. Former IHRDA Executive Director Gaye Sowe recalls that IHRDA made it a point to intentionally seek out cases that would invoke the Protocol’s provisions, resulting in a shift so profound that, as Gaye notes, “about 80% of the cases filed invoking the Maputol Protocol were by IHRDA” when looking at the landmark women’s rights jurisprudence established at the ECOWAS level. This strategic persistence led to the historic 2017 Dorothy Njemanze and 3 other v. The Federal Republic of Nigeria ruling and the 2018 APDF and IHRDA v. The Republic of Mali judgment, which forced an amendment to a discriminatory Family Code in Mali and proved that international treaties could indeed change domestic realities.
Parallel to this work was a deep-seated commitment to those the world often ignores: the stateless. While high-profile litigation often grabs headlines, IHRDA’s heart has always been with the "de facto stateless"—those who exist without documents, without a voice, and without a country to claim them. This mission was crystallized in the fight for Nubian children in Kenya, a case that reached the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in 2010. Reflecting on why this work was so vital, Gaye Sowe emphasizes that it was about more than just legal status; it was about human dignity. “We were looking for cases that were not necessarily the high-profile ones, but those that would have a real impact on people’s lives. For the Nubian children, it wasn't just about a document; it was about the right to belong, to go to school, and to be recognized as human beings in the only home they had ever known. We made it a point to give a voice to those who were invisible.”
Throughout this continental expansion, IHRDA has never forgotten its roots in The Gambia. Even as it grew to influence the African regional and sub-regional mechanisms, the organization remained dedicated to its local community, providing essential support to the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) in The Gambia, which inquired into the atrocities committed during a 22 year dictatorship. In 2021, IHRDA was honored by The Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission for its "invaluable contribution" to the TRRC’s mandate, ensuring that the quest for justice remained a reality at home. From the first case ever submitted to the African Commission to the expansion of its Banjul headquarters in 2020, IHRDA continues to stand as a bridge between the promise of rights and the reality of justice for all Africans.
IHRDA is the premier provider of pro bono legal counsel to victims of human rights violations before African regional and sub-regional courts and human rights treaty bodies. These include the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Court on Human and People’s Rights, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice, and the East African Community Court of Justice. At the national level, IHRDA supports law and institutional development, including legal aid systems. IHRDA’s goal is to increase the application and enforcement of African human rights instruments, bring effective remedies to victims, and achieve broader systemic change towards greater protection of human rights.
IHRDA delivers multiple and tailor-made interventions and impact-driven training to increase the effectiveness and accessibility of African Union and Regional Economic Communities’ human rights protection mechanisms. The organisation’s goal is to ensure all human rights defenders have the knowledge and skills needed to challenge human rights violations and utilize the African human rights system. Typically, our target includes actors in the African Human Rights System value chain, including lawyers, judges, prosecutors, civil society organizations, activists, human rights defenders, diplomats, journalists, and security services (police, defence forces, prisons, and intelligence officials).
Our training covers normative standards, monitoring and protection bodies, and the procedure of African Human Rights Mechanisms. This includes enhancing the capacity of domestic rule of law institutions and facilitating collaboration among supra-national human rights bodies.
IHRDA publishes and distributes information to promote human rights by filling the information gap on the African human rights system.
List of Abbreviations
Established in Banjul to promote and defend human rights across Africa through strategic litigation.
IHRDA files first case ever to be filed before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Granted formal accreditation to engage in Commission proceedings.
IHRDA files its first case to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The hearing was held a year later, in 2010.
IHRDA’s Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director, Gaye Sowe and Edmund Foley, participate in the first ever hearing at the Committee representing Nubian children and their fight for nationality in Kenya.
Ground-breaking ruling clarifying victims’ right to remedy and establishing standards for review of incomplete decisions.
Accredited to formally participate in the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
Accredited to formally participate in the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
Recognised for advancing human rights jurisprudence across Africa.
IHRDA challenges Malawi’s constitutional definition of a “child” (under 16), arguing inconsistency with the African Children’s Charter standard of 18 years.
Created the Case Law Analyser, the first and most popular comprehensive digital database of African human rights decisions.
Pioneering public repository of sexual and gender-based violence jurisprudence.
Designated to lead the Steering Committee of the Litigants’ Group - informal network of lawyers and organizations litigating before the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights, and working to defend the protective mandate of the Commission.
Expanded litigation to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Historic first-ever amicable settlement before ACERWC, with Malawi committing to amend its Constitution and align the definition of a child with international standards.
The ECOWAS Court of Justice makes its first pronouncement on the Maputo Protocol, ruling against Nigeria for gender-based violence, unlawful detention and discrimination against women.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights delivers a landmark decision awarding compensation worth about US$ 4.36 Million for victims, and establishes the human rights responsibility of a non-State actor. The State was also ordered to issue an official apology, organise a dignified reburial for victims and construct a memorial.
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights delivers the first judgment interpreting and applying the Maputo Protocol, ordering Mali to amend its discriminatory Family Code.
First regional decision on sexual violence against a child, ordering compensation and structural reforms.
The ECOWAS Court of Justice held that banning pregnant girls from mainstream school violated the right to education and ordered policy reform.
With an ever growing team, IHRDA expands its Banjul offices, building a second floor with a large conference room and more offices.
Award of recognition from the Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission for IHRDA’s invaluable contribution to the fulfilment of the Commission’s mandate.
Landmark ruling from the African Court holding Tanzania accountable for systemic violence and discrimination against persons with albinism.
ECOWAS Court ordered investigation, public apology, and compensation for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
ECOWAS Court finds Sierra Leone in violation for failing to criminalize Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), orders immediate legislative reform, mandates investigation and prosecution of perpetrators, and awards USD 30,000 compensation to the survivor.
Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA)
949 Brusubi Layout, AU Summit Highway,
P.O. Box 1896 Banjul, The Gambia.
Tel: +220 44 10 413/4
Cell: +220 77 51 200
Email: ihrda@ihrda.org