Grants and scholarships

2024: Knowledge, Interchange and Collaboration (KIC) Grant (No. KIC240411213571) from the National Research Foundation of South Africa to convene a conference titled ‘Twenty years of Bhe v Khayelitsha Magistrate: Promises, progress and pitfalls’ from 20 to 21 August 2024 [R 100 000].

2023: University of Bayreuth Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence grant to present a paper at the 8th Juris Diversitas General Conference hosted by the University of Palermo, Italy, from 19 to 21 June 2023 [€ 500].

2022: Law and Society Association, USA grant awarded under the Gender in Customary and Indigenous Law and Proceedings International Research Collaborative for the LSA Global Meeting in Lisbon [$1,304].

2022: University of the Western Cape Senate Research grant to convene a panel on ‘Adaptive legal pluralism in post-colonial states’ at the Law and Society Association Global Meeting in Lisbon from 13 to 16 July [R 31 200].

2021: ‘Ascertaining the foundational values of indigenous laws in South Africa’ (2022 – 2024), received as principal investigator from the National Research Foundation of South Africa Human and Social Dynamics Grant No. 136532 [R1,173,600].

2020: ‘Rethinking customary law and women’s property rights in the context of legal pluralism in Nigeria’ University of the Western Cape grant to visit the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies [R 50 000].

2019: University of the Western Cape Mid-Career Researcher International Conference Grant [R 30 000 unused].

2019: University of the Western Cape Senate Research grant for a monograph project [R 25 000].

2018: ‘Rethinking normative interaction in sub-Saharan Africa,’ postdoctoral fellowship awarded by the National Research Foundation of South Africa Grant No. SFP180427324639 [R 200,000 not used].

2018: ‘Hidden in plain sight: Normative intersectionality in Southern and Western Nigeria,’ African Humanities Program Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded by the American Council of Learned Societies [$19 000].

2018: ‘Rethinking legal pluralism in sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from South and West,’ Residential Guest Researcher Scholarship awarded by the Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden from April – June 2018.

2017: ‘Rethinking legal pluralism in post-colonial Africa: The indigenous laws of commercial contracts,’ University Research Committee Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded by the University of Cape Town [R 440 000].

2017: Competitive Conference Grant awarded by the University of Cape Town to present a paper at the 5th Juris Diversitas Annual Conference held at Université Jean Moulin, Lyon, France in July 2017 [R 16 575].

2016: Knowledge, Interchange and Collaboration (KIC) Grant awarded by the National Research Foundation of South Africa to attend the Juris Diversitas Annual Conference, USA from 30 May to 1 June 2016 [R 20 000].

2015: ‘Recognition of living customary law in Nigerian legal system: Women’s matrimonial property rights in south-east Nigeria,’ Next Generation in Africa Dissertation Research Fellowship awarded by the Social Science Research Council of New York [$15 000].

2015: ‘Implications of an adaptation theory of indigenous law for legal pluralism in Africa,’ travel grant to the University of Limerick awarded by Institute of International Education/Carnegie Corporation of New York [$4300].

2015: Competitive Conference Grant awarded by the University of Cape Town to present a paper at the Biennial International Conference of the Commission on Legal Pluralism held in India from 14 to 16 December [R 19 700].

2014: ‘Recognition of living customary law in Nigeria: Women’s access to land under customary law of succession in South-east Nigeria,’ dissertation proposal development fellowship awarded by the Social Science Research Council of New York [$3000].

2014-2015: ‘Law 150’ PhD scholarships awarded by the Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town [R 90 000 p/a].

2014-2015: Postgraduate International Students Scholarship awarded by the University of Cape Town [R 70 000].

2013-2015: ‘Judicial recognition of living customary law in the context of matrimonial property rights in South-East Nigeria,’ doctoral bursary awarded by the South African Research Chairs Initiative Grant No. 64825 [R 270,000].

2007: Master of Laws scholarship awarded by the German Academic Exchange Service [R65 000].

Awards/recognition

2024: University of the Western Cape Research Excellence Award: Best Mid-Career Researcher 2023 finalist.

2022: ‘Towards legal integration in sub-Saharan Africa’, Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies International Research Fellowship awarded by the University of Bayreuth, Germany [January – July 2023].

2020: ‘Established Researcher’ rating (C2) awarded by the National Research Foundation of South Africa.

2020: Non-residential Diaspora Scholar at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.

2020: University of the Western Cape Research Excellence Award: Best Early Career Researcher 2019 finalist.

 2018: Runner up in the Young Scholar Best Paper Award competition of the International Commission on Legal Pluralism for a submission titled “A butterfly that thinks itself a bird: The identity of customary courts in Nigeria.”

2016: PhD thesis passed without revision required by any of the three examiners (11 November 2016).

2011: Excellent Teacher Award, voted on by over 1000 law students in Madonna University, Nigeria.

2005: Highly Commended award in the 2005 Short Story Writing Competition of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, United Kingdom for an entry titled The Strange Child.