Oxford LibGuides: Africa: legal resources for sub-Saharan jurisdictions: Legislation &amp; case law

Finding legislation and case law from Anglophone Africa

Online resources

Please see the suggestions for each nation under the Jurisdictions tab in this guide. The official websites of the legislatures is usually the best place to find updated, amended legislation.

There are also aggregators which collect national legislation but these tend to be of the legislation as originally promulgated.

Angola Numbered Acts
Provided by South African Legal Information Institute (SAfLII) OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Ghana Legal Information Institute (GhaLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Kenya Law : Laws of Kenya (statutes & subsidiary legislation)
Open access site maintained by The National Council for Law Reporting (Kenya) a semi-autonomous state corporation
Lesotho Legal Information Institute (LesLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Liberia Legal Information Institute (LiberLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Malawi Legal Information Institute (MalawiLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Namibia Legal Information Institute (NamibLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Nigeria Legal Information Institute (NigeriaLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Sierra Leone Legal Information Institute (SierraLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Swazi Legal Information Institute (SWAZiLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Tanzania Legal Information Institute (TanzLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Uganda Legal Information Institute (ULII)
ULII is a free legal information service provided by the Law Reporting Unit of the Uganda Judiciary and a member of the global Free Access to Law community.
Zambia Legal Information Institute (ZambiaLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Zimbabwe Legal Information Institute (ZimLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
NATLEX: ILO's Database of national labour, social security and related human rights legislation
FAOLEX database
Open Access. "FAOLEX is a comprehensive and up-to-date legislative and policy database, one of the world's largest online repositories of national laws, regulations and policies on food, agriculture and natural resources management. Users of FAOLEX have direct access to the abstracts and indexing information about each text, as well as to the full text of the legislation and policies contained in the database."
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The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
Nations
Check the individual country's guide which may identify where the government makes legislation available online

Please use our separate guide for South Africa for help with sources for that jurisdiction

South Africa : legal resources
by Elizabeth Wells Last Updated Dec 20, 2024 3201 views this year

The Law Bod has subscriptions to some specialist legal databases for current OU students & faculty members.

Jutastat E-Publications
Botswana Law Reports (1964 to date), Namibian Law Reports, South African Case Law, Juta's (1838 to date), South African Law Reports, The (1947 to date), Tanzania Law Reports (1983 - 1997), Zambia Law Reports 1963-1997, Zimbabwe Law Reports (1989-2017)
Alternative names: Juta Law ; Juta Online ; Jutastat

Contains: Juta’s South African Case Law 1838 to date; The South African Law Reports 1947 to date; Statutes and Regulations of South Africa; Juta’s Electronic Law Journals; Botswana Law Reports 1964 - ; Namibian Law Reports 1990 to date; Case Law of Zimbabwe including access to the Zimbabwe Law Reports 1980 - 2000 (2); Tanzania Law 1983 to 1997; Zambia Law Reports from 1963 to 1997.
Electronic Law Companion
- This link opens in a new window
Nigerian Supreme Court Quarterly Law Reports (NSCQLR) 2000 -
Nigerian Supreme Court Quarterly Law Reports (NSCQLR) 2000 -
LLMC-digital
Remote access requires Oxford SSO. Can be excellent for historic series. Includes for example
Botswana: 1926-1962, High Commission Territories Law Reports, 10v; Eswatini (Swaziland)
1926-1962, High Commission Territories Law Reports, 10v; 1930-1960, West African Court of Appeal, Selected Judgments; Ghana
1861-1914, Reports, Notes of Cases & Proceedings,
1904, Fanti Law Report of Decided Cases on Fanti Customary Laws, 1912–1924, Cases in Akan Law
1919-1929, Gold Coast - Selected Full Court Judgments, 1921-1937, Selected Judgments of the Divisional Courts, 1938-1948, Reports of Land Cases Decided in Ghana in the Divisional Courts
Kenya: 1897-1921, Law Reports (East Africa Protectorate), 1921-1956, Law Reports of Kenya.
1934-1955, Eastern Africa Court of Appeal Reports,
1953-1962, Law Reports (Court of Review); Lesotho: 1926-1962, High Commission Territories Law Reports, 10v; Malawi: 1954, Native Courts (Eng./Chinyanja), 1956-1964, Rhodesia and Nyasaland law reports, 9 v; Nigeria
1881-1955, Law Reports; 1930-1960, West African Court of Appeal, Selected Judgments;
1952, Report of the Native Courts (Northern Provinces); 1954-, Lagos Law Reports
1955-62, Law Reports, SCourt from Western Region, 1956-1960, Sel. Judgments, Federal Supreme Ct. of Nigeria, 1956-62, Law Reports, Northern Region, Nigeria

Alternative names: LLMC ; Law Library Microfilm Consortium’s Online Service ; LLMC Digital

LLMC-digital is a collection of English language legal titles and government documents divided into ten major jurisdictional or subject areas:
US Federal Government; US States and Territories; Canada; United Kingdom; Germany federal; Germany state, kingdoms and free cities; Other Countries (Afghanistan to Zimbabwe); International Law and Organizations; Indigenous Law covering materials from various regions of the United States, Canada and Indonesia; and Special Focus Collections which includes British Empire Studies, Canon Law, Islamic Law, Military Law, Native American Collection, Roman law, etc.

As of 2023 the following Lagos High Court report volume is not included in LLMC-Digital

Law Reports of the High Court of Lagos 1966
Available as a free download from the website of the Nigerian National Library.

Sources on the free web

There are some reliable collections of transcripts of judgments available free online.

The African Legal Information Institutes gather databases of court decisions which are available free to anyone with internet access.

Botswana Court of Appeal Decisions
Provided by South African Legal Information Institute (SAfLII) OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Botwana High Court Decisions
Provided by South African Legal Information Institute (SAfLII) OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Botswana Industrial Court Decisions
Provided by South African Legal Information Institute (SAfLII) OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Ghana Legal Information Institute (GhaLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Kenya Law Cases Database
Free resource. Maintained by The National Council for Law Reporting (Kenya), member of the Free Access to Law Movement
Lesotho Legal Information Institute (LesLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Liberia Legal Information Institute (LiberLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Malawi Legal Information Institute (MalawiLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Namibia Legal Information Institute (NamibLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Nigeria Legal Information Institute (NigeriaLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Sierra Leone Legal Information Institute (SierraLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Swazi Legal Information Institute (SwaziLII) OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Tanzania Legal Information Institute (TanzLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Zambia Legal Information Institute (ZambiaLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Zimbabwe Legal Information Institute (ZimLII)
OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community

Please check the page for the particular nation in this guide which may have links to useful official judicial or court websites.

ACtHPR: African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights
Official website. Includes database of decisions.
African Human Rights Law Reports 2000-
Free resource.Download volumes as pdf - speed will vary according to your service "The African Human Rights Law Reports contains legal decisions of relevance to human rights law in Africa. These include selected domestic decisions from the whole continent, as well as the decisions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the United Nations treaty bodies, dealing with African countries." From Centre for Human Rights, Pretoria University
ICRC databases on international humanitarian law
Free resource
International criminal court for Rwanda (Legacy Website)
Archive of official website. "Since the ICTR’s closure on 31 December 2015, the [UN's Residual] Mechanism [for Criminal Trials] maintains this website as part of its mission to preserve and promote the legacy of the UN International Criminal Tribunals
Special Court & Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone
Official website The Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone was established by an agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone to oversee the continuing legal obligations of the Special Court for Sierra Leone after its closure in 2013. These include witness protection, supervision of prison sentences, and management of the SCSL archives.

International law courts, cases & commentary
by Elizabeth Wells Last Updated Dec 20, 2024 1494 views this year

East African Court of Justice
Official website
East African Court of Justice Law Report (EACJLR)
"These reports contain select cases determined by the Court during its first decade. They are published in two volumes: 2005-2011 and 2012-2015 ... Each contains a case summary together with a list of legal instruments and cases cited plus the complete and unabridged ruling or judgment. However, the report does not include all references filed during the reporting period.
The Court disclaims any responsibility for any errors, omissions or discrepancies contained in these reports."

The original signed and stamped decision held in the Court’s Registry is the only authentic version and will prevail.
ECOWAS Court of Justice
Official website

The LawBod's collections of law reports for African countries varies considerably in strength & depth: you may well discover that for some countries the collection has an historic rather than a current emphasis. These are shelved on Level 1, one floor below the entrance level.

Most reports of African cases are shelved in discrete collections according to the country of origin. All Nigerian law reports series will be alongside each other, & will have shelf marks including Nigeria.

However, in some instances, the decisions of African courts may have also attracted the attention of editors of comparative or international law or human rights law report series. These will have shelf marks starting General (also to be found on Level 1) or Internat (for which you need to go to Level 3).

Please ask a member of staff to point you in the right direction!

If you have an Oxford SSO, and are interested in Law Reports from nineteenth century Africa, then it would be worthwhile checking that jurisdiction's name in LLMC-digital. This database is constantly growing.

LLMC-digital
Alternative names: LLMC ; Law Library Microfilm Consortium’s Online Service ; LLMC Digital

LLMC-digital is a collection of English language legal titles and government documents divided into ten major jurisdictional or subject areas:
US Federal Government; US States and Territories; Canada; United Kingdom; Germany federal; Germany state, kingdoms and free cities; Other Countries (Afghanistan to Zimbabwe); International Law and Organizations; Indigenous Law covering materials from various regions of the United States, Canada and Indonesia; and Special Focus Collections which includes British Empire Studies, Canon Law, Islamic Law, Military Law, Native American Collection, Roman law, etc.

Other legal traditions

La Haute Cour Constitutionelle du Madagascar
Provided by South African Legal Information Institute (SAfLII) OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
Juricaf La jurisprudence francophone des cours suprêmes
Open Access "Rechercher parmi 1 095 759 décisions provenant de 46 pays et institutions francophones" [viewed Jan 2022]
Droit-Afrique
Portal particularly for business & tax law.
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Droit-Afrique est un site consacré au droit des affaires et à la fiscalité des pays de l’Afrique francophone. Il a pour objectif de mettre à la disposition des entreprises et des professionnels du droit une information juridique globale, pertinente et à jour sélectionnée par des juristes spécialisés. Droit-Afrique propose pour chaque pays :

une base juridique et fiscale comprenant plus de 2000 textes de Codes, lois, décrets, conventions, jurisprudence,etc. en libre accès, ainsi que des liens vers les journaux officiels de certains pays,
un portail internet comprenant plus de 500 liens vers des sites juridiques,
un espace librairie : Codes des impôts, Codes algériens, droit OHADA, droit douanier, etc.,
un annuaire juridique recensant plus de 400 juristes d’affaires en Afrique francophone.
Mozambique: Tribunal Supremo
Provided by South African Legal Information Institute (SAfLII) OA resource A member of the global Free Access to Law Movement and the AfricanLII community
LegisPalop
I believe registration is free. Search function may help find law cases from nations where Portuguese is a national language.

Africa: legal resources for sub-Saharan jurisdictions: Legislation & case law

Finding legislation and case law from Anglophone Africa

Other legal traditions

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