Re-imagining International Law: An Examination of Recent Trends in the Reception of International Law into National Legal System in Africa

Abstract

This article suggests that the trend of accepting the supremacy and direct application of international law represents a rethinking of the relationship between international and national law, and that its full implications are yet to be explored. The Article seeks to build on current writings on the subject by analyzing certain regional arrangements and judicial approaches relevant to, but often ignored in the discussion. It attempts not to situate these arrangements or approaches within or outside of the monist/dualist paradigm, but to assess the practical significance of these arrangements for international law, national law, and their respective subjects. RE-IMAGINING INTERNATIONAL LAW: AN EXAMINATION OF RECENT TRENDS IN THE RECEPTION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW INTO NATIONAL LEGAL SYSTEMS IN AFRICA Richard Frimpong Oppong*