The International Institute of Space Law (IISL) invites applications from student teams across universities in Africa to participate in the 2020 Africa Regional Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Competition.

Annually, the IISL and the European Center for Space Law (ECSL) organize the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition, with over 60 teams from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America participating.

The moot competition “encourages further development on the subject matter of space law in the curriculum of academic institutions and assists participating countries in developing the technical legal capacity by preparing the next generation of space lawyers. The competition provides a platform for the students, where the analysis, drafting, presentation and arguing skills of an upcoming lawyer are put to test,” IISL notes on its website.

The Africa Regional Round is usually hosted in Pretoria, South Africa where student teams from universities in Africa compete to represent the continent at the World Finals which is customarily held on the sideline of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC).

The Competition will focus on a Case Concerning Jurisdiction and Control in Outer Space, Space Situational Awareness, and Orbital Debris.

The team can constitute two or three students currently registered within the faculty of law from any African University. Prior knowledge of space Law is not a prerequisite for participation.

The 2020 World Finals will take place on 12-16 October 2020 on the sidelines of IAC at the Dubai World Trade Centre, United Arab Emirates.

For the first time since joining in 2012, Africa, represented by a team from the University of Pretoria, South Africa won the World Finals in 2018. For this year, the team from Nigeria’s University of Calabar, who won the Africa Regional Round in Pretoria, emerged as the runner up at the World Finals held at the NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Deadlines

15 December 2019: Deadline for Submission of Requests for Clarification
31 January 2020: Deadline for Author to Respond to Requests for Clarification
17 Feb 2020: Deadline for Team Registration
30 March 2020: Deadline for Submission of Written Memorials
14-15 May 2020: African Oral Rounds – Location TBD

To register, please submit a registration form to lachsmoot-africa@iislweb.org. For enquiries, email Nomfuneko Majaja on lachsmoot-africa@iislweb.org or visit the Competition website.