Durham honorary graduate and former Law School lecturer Professor Dapo Akande has been elected to the International Court of Justice.
He will serve a nine-year term from 2027 to 2036, playing a key, independent role in the Court’s work to uphold international law and resolve disputes between states.
Born and raised in Nigeria, where he originally qualified as a lawyer, Dapo has gone on to become one of the UK’s foremost international lawyers, with nearly three decades experience as a scholar and practitioner.
He is Chichele Professor of Public International Law and a Fellow of All Souls College at the University of Oxford, as well as an elected member of the United Nations International Law Commission.
His extensive international experience includes acting as counsel, adviser and expert in cases before international courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice.
Dapo also advised governments and international organisations, including the United Nations and the African Union.
Dapo’s exceptional contribution to international law and his longstanding connection with Durham were recognised in July 2025, when the University awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law.
His connections to Durham span generations. His paternal grandfather attended Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone at a time when its qualifications were awarded by Durham University.
Dapo later joined Durham himself, serving as a Lecturer in Law in Durham Law School from 2000 to 2004.
At his honorary degree ceremony last year, his oration described him as “an eminent scholar, practitioner, and global authority in public international law” and highlighted his exceptional contribution to international law, commitment to justice and enduring connection to Durham.
I am deeply honoured to be elected to the International Court of Justice. 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 today.
Dapo Akande has made exceptional contributions to international law. He considers his most significant professional achievement to be starting EJIL:Talk!, a leading scholarly blog widely read across the global legal community. It is fair to say his influence and professional achievements have been considerably more extensive. He is a world-class scholar and has acted as counsel, adviser and expert in cases before leading international courts and tribunals and the UK Supreme Court.
Dapo Akande (Doctor of Civil Law) a world-renowned academic and lawyer with Vice-Chancellor Professor Karen O'Brien and Chancellor Dr Fiona Hill and Professor Shaun Pattinson, Durham Law School.
Professor Dapo Akande with Professor Shaun Pattinson, Durham Law School.
