African law professors Phoebe Okowa and Dapo Akande both elected to 9-year terms on International Court of Justice

Congratulations are flowing from across Africa, the UK, and internationally as two African-born law professors and international law experts, Phoebe Okowa and Dapo Akande, were yesterday announced as judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for nine year terms, to begin 6 February 2027, after lengthy campaigns.

“It is with immense pride that I welcome the election of Judge Phoebe Okowa to the International Court of Justice for the 2027-2036 term, and congratulate Judges from the UK, France, Singapore, and Jordan on joining the Court,” said Dr Abraham Korir Sing'Oei, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, last night. 

When Kenya launched Okowa’s candidacy for a full ICJ term earlier this year, Sing’Oei called the judge and professor a trailblazer whose scholarship and practical expertise in international law have shaped global jurisprudence. 

“Judge Okowa’s election reflects the confidence of the international community in her capacity to serve the Court at this consequential time.”

As reported by Africa Legal, Okowa made history last November when she became the first Kenyan and only seventh woman to serve as a permanent jurist on the ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (aka ‘the World Court’), having then been elected to fill the role left vacant when trailblazing Somalian judge Abdulqawi Yusuf, a former ICJ President, took early retirement after serving more than 16 years.. 

Okowa was to hold office for the remainder of Yusuf’s term, until 5 February 2027.

Now she becomes one of five judges elected yesterday to serve a full nine-year term from 2027-2036, alongside Nigerian-British lawyer and academic Dapo Akande (representing the UK), François Alabrune (France), Rena Lee (Singapore), and fellow returning judge Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud (Jordan) who had first joined the ICJ in 2025, to fill the remaining term of former ICJ President Nawaf Salam of Lebanon.

“Professor Akande will bring integrity, legal rigour and independent expertise to the International Court of Justice,” said British Prime Minister Andy Burnham following yesterday’s election results. “I am incredibly proud that he is representing the UK.”

A law graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University in Osun, Akande qualified as a lawyer in Nigeria before moving to the UK in 1993 to pursue an LLM at the London School of Economics. He has gone on to become a world-renowned expert and leader in the field of international law. In recent years he has served as a member of the United Nations International Law Commission, alongside being a barrister, and the Chichele Professor of Public International Law at the University of Oxford. 

“I am deeply honoured to be elected to the International Court of Justice,” said Akande, who was nominated not only by the UK National Group, but 42 other National Groups - the most of any candidate - and had support from across every UN region.

“I am incredibly grateful to all the states that have put their faith in me. I pledge to serve with independence and to deciding cases on the basis of a faithful and impartial application of the law. I look forward to contributing to the ICJ’s vital work in helping to resolve disputes by peaceful means, alongside the other colleagues elected.” 

In the aftermath of yesterday’s results, the UK Mission to the United Nations called Akande’s election “a success for the rule of law” and said the UK would always stand up for international law and the independence and impartiality of the ICJ.

The African Union Mission to the UN said Okowa’s re-election “represents an important milestone in sustaining African representation on the Court and ensuring that African women continue to contribute to international judicial leadership, advancing gender equality, diversity and inclusivity in the international justice system”. 

David Maraga, a former Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya, praised Okowa’s “well-deserved” re-election as “an affirmation of the world’s full confidence in one of Kenya’s finest jurists to tackle international justice and the rule of law during this difficult time in global governance”.

From 6 February 2027, the 15-member bench of the ICJ will consist of the five newly elected judges, alongside ten continuing members, which include current ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa of Japan, current Vice-President Julia Sebutinde of Uganda. South African judge Dire Tladi, and judges from Slovakia, China, Germany, Australia, United States, Mexico, and Romania. There will be a record six female ICJ judges serving, a high water mark thusfar for an institution that, with Lee’s addition, will have had eight female judges in its history, compared to more than 100 male judges.