Work
My Orchid: 0000-0003-0543-0555
Teaching
As a legal scholar, I promote human rights in Africa through research, teaching, and publications. I am currently a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria, where, among other activities, I manage and coordinate the academic program (doctoral and masters) in Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Africa. I am a Research Affiliate at the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI) and the University of Bergen Centre on Law and Social Transformation in Norway.
I have developed and taught graduate modules including Introduction to Qualitative Research & analysis; Interview Research; Feminist perspective on international human rights law; The Right of Conscience in Sexual and Reproductive Health; and Legal Developments on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). I also co-supervised LLM/MPhil dissertations at the University of Pretoria as well as lectured at the Faculty of Law, University of The Gambia.
Research + Writing
I have substantial experience conducting research, including systematic desk reviews and field research in multiple countries. My work has been published in journals such as the Health and Human Rights Journal, International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, African Disability Rights Yearbook, Constitutions of the World, and the yearly I·CONnect-Clough Center Global Review of Constitutional Law. As an expert in her field, I have presented my research at numerous international and national conferences and events.
My empirical focus is on the human rights system, South Africa, and The Gambia. I am one of few scholars with expertise focused on knowledge production on human rights in The Gambia. My goal of harnessing legal scholarship and promoting inclusive policies in the development process of the Gambia is evident in the establishment of Law Hub Gambia, a legal resources and knowledge institute providing an open-access source of legal information from The Gambia.
Consulting
I am a consultant to government, international development entities, and non-profit organizations. My consultancy portfolio ranges from an analysis, review, and translating of legal documents, law and policy drafting, development of strategies, the development of standard operating procedures, and easy-to-use advocacy resources. I am the founder and CEO of Ripples Consulting LLC registered both in the United States and The Gambia.
Training + Facilitation
For over a decade, I have conducted training for both state and non-state actors on constitutional law issues, human rights specifically on issues relating to women’s rights, freedom of expression, access to information, democracy, governance, and elections. I am a facilitator & trainer on capacity strengthening on state reporting to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). This includes developing and organizing State Reporting Workshops on the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) for government officials and civil society organizations.
