John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition report
- Mxolisi Ngulube
We send our congratulations to the team of law students who made it to the quarter finals of this year's John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition in Geneva
The Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ School of Law participated in the final rounds of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition from 23rd to 28th June 2026. This prestigious event, organised by the European Law Students’ Association in partnership with the World Trade Organization (WTO), was held in Geneva, Switzerland.
The competition simulates WTO dispute settlement hearings, requiring both written submissions and oral advocacy on complex international trade law issues. The format comprises two stages:
- Regional rounds conducted across each continent, and
- A culminating final round in Geneva.
In April 2026, the African regional round took place in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ School of Law team distinguished itself by winning the prize for best written submissions for the complainant, and qualifying for the final round in Geneva.
The Geneva stage assembled the top 24 teams globally, including participants from Harvard University, George University, KU Leuven, Sorbonne University, and others. In the twelve years since the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ School of Law began entering this competition, none of its teams had advanced beyond the preliminary rounds in Geneva. This year, however, the team made history by:
- Placing 4th out of 24 teams in the preliminary rounds
- Progressing to the quarterfinals for the first time
- Outperforming the runner-up of the African regional round
Although the team narrowly missed a place in the semi-final, their performance in the quarterfinals was highly commended by the judges, who praised their mastery of both the case and relevant law. Notably, the championship was won by another African team, the University of Nairobi.
The Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ team was coached by Mr Mxolisi Ngulube, a specialist in international trade law and an alumnus of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition himself. Mr Ngulube was previously a member of the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ team that finished second in the African regional round of the 2015/16 competition.
We send our congratulations to the following team members:
- Arianna Lenghel
- Matthias Lazarides
- Olwethu Dikiso
- Palesa Mampa
- Kendal Wright