Black Female Lawyers Network’s Post

What a journey! It is with deep gratitude that I announce the completion of my doctorate in law from the University of Toronto. This milestone is deeply meaningful to me—a girl from Nigeria who started with little more than hopes, dreams, resilience, and a relentless desire to ask tough questions and find answers. This was a rigorous journey: 130,643 words, 14 interviews, 3 sectoral studies, countless cups of coffee, many, many, many sleepless nights, hundreds of papers read, and some tears along the way (I can assure you, everyone who does a PhD cries at some point!)—but it is finished. Over the past few years, I have immersed myself in understanding how African countries trade with themselves and the world. Curious about the private sector that, despite the legal and regulatory uncertainties of doing business across the continent, continues to seek opportunities for growth—I analyzed and conceptualized their efforts through a framework I call “bottom-up regional economic integration.” While state-centric, treaty-heavy approaches have dominated regional integration discourse for decades, my research shows that our understanding is incomplete without clarity on the legal and regulatory mechanisms the private sector adopts or creates to drive growth and expansion in Africa. My research is a first step towards filling this knowledge gap. I am deeply grateful to the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and my incredible committee— Andrew Green, Mariana Mota Prado, and the legendary Michael Trebilcock—for their invaluable support and guidance. I also specially thank all the scholars on whose shoulders I stand, particularly the scholars of the Afronomicslaw network. I also want to thank the institutions that believed in me: the Vanier Scholarship, PEO Scholarship, DKG Scholarship, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK, University of Cambridge, University of Ibadan, and many others. Your support kept the spark alive. To my friends, mentors, and family—your unwavering encouragement made all the difference and I appreciate all the sacrifices you made to aid my journey. As always, I am also excited to engage with others who are passionate about these issues—trade, economic development, and the critical role that the law plays in shaping them and changing outcomes. As I reflect on this journey, I am humbled to say I have become my ancestors’ wildest dreams. To anyone reading this—especially if your dreams feel bigger than your current reality—know this: no one can define who you are or who you will become except you. The journey may be rough but please block the noise, believe in yourself, stay clear in your purpose, and take that first step. The world is waiting!