Africa's diverse and pluralistic societies call for fresh, home-grown approaches grounded in the African experience. The Centre for Comparative Law in Africa (CCLA) was established in 2011 to promote the study of the diversity of legal cultures in Africa and draw on the strengths of comparative methodology to research into the multi-faceted field of law in Africa.
The CCLA presents an opportunity to develop a discipline that lends itself to optimal application in the plural legal frameworks within which life is lived in Africa. In its mission to contribute to the development of comparative law in Africa, the strategy of the CCLA is to establish the field at UCT, build capacity in it across the continent through academic programmes, apply comparative law expertise in consultancies and capacity building initiatives and disseminate new knowledge in comparative law in Africa through conferences, publications and professional networks.
Its location within the Department of Commercial Law recognises the centrality of comparative law to ongoing efforts at economic integration on the African continent. The Centre is involved in various academic, research and applied activities.