What is your research about?

My research examines the legal frameworks of intergovernmental transfers in South Africa and Switzerland, with a focus on their local governments. Given that the system of intergovernmental transfers in a federation is constituted and governed by its Constitution and relevant legislation, issues of interest to a constitutional law researcher mainly include the legal justification for such transfers, their design, the challenges they pose and their overall impact. Accordingly, my work comparatively examines the legal basis of intergovernmental transfers in South Africa and Switzerland, the procedures for establishing, modifying and terminating intergovernmental transfers in both countries, their conditional and unconditional transfers, and their dispute resolution and adjudication mechanisms. The working title of my current research at the IFF is “'An Assessment of the Legal Frameworks of Intergovernmental Transfers in South Africa and Switzerland: A Focus on their Local Governments”.

What is your background?

I am a doctoral student at the University of Western Cape (UWC), South Africa. My research is entitled "Shared Rule in Federal Political Systems: The Case of Nigeria".  I obtained my Master’s degree in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa from the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa. I actively work as a researcher, lecturer, and legal practitioner with a specific interest in comparative constitutional law, international human rights law, and Islamic law.  I am currently a Marie Sklodowsca-Curie Fellow.