Professor Dapo Akande, a Nigerian-trained legal expert and professor at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, has been elected as a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Akande was elected on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and will serve a nine-year term at the court, which is the main judicial body of the United Nations.
His election marks a major achievement in his international legal career, which spans nearly three decades in legal research, teaching and the settlement of disputes between countries.
According to his profile on the University of Oxford website, Akande is the Chichele Professor of Public International Law at Oxford University. He is also a Fellow of All Souls College and Co-Director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict.
He is a member of the United Nations International Law Commission and a practising barrister at Essex Court Chambers.
Over the years, Akande has taught and served as a visiting professor at several universities in the United States, Europe and Australia, including Yale Law School and the University of Melbourne.
His areas of expertise include international law, human rights, armed conflict, international criminal law, cyber operations and the settlement of disputes between countries.
He has also written several important books on international law. One of his major works, Oppenheim's International Law: The United Nations, was published by Oxford University Press in 2017. The book received an award from the American Society of International Law in 2019.
Other books he has co-edited include The Oxford Guide to International Humanitarian Law (2020) and Human Rights and 21st Century Challenges: Poverty, Conflict and the Environment (2020).
Akande was also part of an international team of legal experts that prepared the Tallinn Manual 2.0, a major publication on how international law applies to cyber operations.
Beyond his academic work, he has taken part in several important international legal cases. He has served as a lawyer, adviser or expert before major international courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court, European Court of Human Rights and African Court of Human and Peoples' Rights.
He has also provided legal advice to governments and international organisations, including the United Nations, African Union, Commonwealth Secretariat, Council of Europe and NATO.
In 2024, he was appointed to the panel of arbitrators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, an international body that handles disputes involving foreign investments.
Akande has also served on several international advisory groups, including committees connected to the United States Department of State, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Following his election, Akande expressed gratitude to member states for the confidence they had placed in him.
He promised to carry out his duties independently and fairly, without favouring any country or party.
“I pledge to serve with independence and to deciding cases on the basis of a faithful and impartial application of the law,” he said in a statement released by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
He also said he looked forward to helping the court settle disputes between countries through peaceful means.
His election adds another important achievement to his distinguished career in international law and legal scholarship.
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