Since 2021, the Faculty of Law at the University of Namur has been engaged in a fruitful collaboration with Thomas Sankara University and the Ouagadougou Bar Association in Burkina Faso. This cooperation with Burkina Faso aims to strengthen the academic and professional capacities of the Burkinabe partners by addressing their priority needs.
The main objectives of this collaboration are:
- Supporting doctoral and postdoctoral research: thanks to dedicated funding, several doctoral and postdoctoral students from Burkina Faso have been able to conduct research stays at UNamur. These stays have enabled them to advance their research, defend their theses, and secure positions as university faculty members. This initiative helps address the shortage of faculty, particularly in private law, at Thomas Sankara University.
- Strengthening the educational offering in Ouagadougou: UNamur professors Hervé Jacquemin, René Robaye, and Mathieu Rolain regularly visit Thomas Sankara University to teach courses as part of the Master’s in Law program, organize specialized training sessions, or deliver lectures. These missions facilitate the sharing of expertise in various fields such as civil law, insurance law, children’s rights, philosophy of law, and digital law.
- At the same time, continuing education programs have been organized for lawyers of the Ouagadougou Bar Association to meet their need to update their legal knowledge. These programs foster professional exchanges and strengthen ties between Thomas Sankara University and the Ouagadougou Bar Association.
- Finally, the UNamur Law School is actively involved in organizing a certificate program in digital law in Ouagadougou.
This cooperation is made possible thanks to the financial support of several institutions, including FUCID, the non-profit organization CERUNA, Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility, Wallonie-Bruxelles International, and the International Relations Office of the University of Namur.
Together, UNamur, Thomas Sankara University, and the Ouagadougou Bar Association are working to advance higher education and research in Burkina Faso, while strengthening ties between academic and professional institutions in both countries.