FURTHER ACTIVITIES AND TRAINING

FURTHER ACTIVITIES

  • While in the employment of the Legal Assistance Centre, Windhoek, I acted as:
    • Convener of a symposium on the reform of the legal system and legal profession in an independent Namibia, held at the Continental Hotel, Windhoek, on 16th and 17th February 1990;
    • Convener and Secretary of the first and second follow-up meetings of Namibian lawyers which discussed the reform of the legal profession in Namibia, held at the Academy, Windhoek, 10th March 1990 and 7th April 1990; and
    • Convener and Secretary of the ad hoc Committee on the Reform of the Legal Profession in Namibia, 10th March 1990 –3rd May 1990.
  • While in the employment of the Office of the Attorney-General, I:
    •  Advised all Ministries and Offices, and some Councils of Municipalities and some State Owned Companies through their line Ministries on various legal issues.
    • Participated in the negotiations and drafting of important instruments which include the following:
  • Meetings of Legal Officials of the Member States of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) who drafted the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community (the Abuja Treaty), in Abuja, Nigeria, 1991.
  • Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Technical Committee, which drafted the Treaty Establishing SADC of 1992 and the Protocol on Immunities and Privileges of 1992. Further, SADC Protocols which I perused and advised on/participated in the drafting include: Protocol on Fisheries; Protocol on the Tribunal; Protocol on Shared Watercourse Systems; Protocol on Wildlife Conservation; Protocol on Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking; Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security; Protocol on Development of Tourism; Protocol on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and Related Materials.
  • Committee of Legal Experts, which drafted the Treaty Establishing the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), convened by the Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern Africa (PTA), Lusaka, Zambia, 1993.
  • Was a delegate of the Republic of Namibia to a Conference convened by the International Civil Aviation Organisation on World Wide Communication, Navigation and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management System (CNS/ATM), Rio De Janeiro, 11th -15th May 1998;
  • Was a delegate of the Republic of Namibia to the Thirty-Second (32) Session of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Montreal, Canada, 22nd September – 2nd October 1998.
  • Was a delegate of the Republic of Namibia (appointed by His Excellency the President) to a meeting convened by the OAU in an attempt to draft a peace treaty for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 10th – 12th September 1998. I served on a drafting Committee comprising four (4) lawyers.
  • Was an alternate Leader of the Namibian delegation to a Meeting of Experts on Civil Aviation, particularly on the liberalization of airspace held in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, 9th – 12th November 1999.
  • Was a delegate of the Republic of Namibia to a Ministerial Conference of African Ministers responsible for Civil Aviation held in Yamoussoukro Côte d’Ivoire, 13th – 14th November 1999. The Conference adopted the “Yamoussoukro Decision on the Liberalization of Access to Air Transport Market in Africa”.
  • Was an alternate Leader of the delegation of the Republic of Namibia to a Diplomatic Conference convened by ICAO to deliberate on the Modernization of the Warsaw Convention of 1929, held in Montreal, Canada 10th – 28th May 1999.
  • Represented the Office of the Attorney-General and/or line Ministries at Meetings, Workshops and Seminars in Namibia and abroad which include the following:
  • Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), from 1991 – 1996 (meetings attended at least once a year);
  • Meeting of Law Officers of Small Commonwealth Jurisdictions, Nicosia, Cyprus, 19th – 23rd August 1991 and Windhoek, Namibia, 4th – 8th September 1995;
  • Regional Symposium for African Countries on WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), held in Windhoek, Namibia, 17th – 19th March 1999;
  • WIPO African Sub-regional Symposium on the Implementation of the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects on Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) by the year 2000, held at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 29th – 31st March 1999; and
  • Civil Aviation Committee of SADC Member States (3rd meeting held in Mauritius, 17th – 19th April 2000);
  • Served on several Disciplinary Committees established in terms of the Public Service Act of 1995 (Act No.13 of 1995).
  • Was a delegate of the Republic of Namibia at the Preparatory Commission for the International Seabed Authority and for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, United Nations Headquarters, New York, 1st – 12th August 1994.

EXECUTIVE EDUCATION/ FURTHER TRAINING

  • Executive Education:
  • University of Witwatersrand Graduate School of Business (Wits Business School), South Africa: Managing Global Enterprises, 3rd – 7th April 2006.
  • INSEAD, Fountainebleau, France: Myglobe, Managing Young Global Enterprises, 2nd – 9th June 2006.
  • United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Sub-Regional Seminar on Legal Aspects of Debt Management, Windhoek, 18th – 26th January 1993.
  • Port Management, Bremen, Germany, March 1993 (acquired training to assist the Government of Namibia with the administration of Walvis Bay during the Joint Administrative Authority).
  • Performance Management Programme: Workshops for officials in the management cadre, offered by the Office of the Prime Minister, Windhoek, 1994.
  • Effective Trans-boundary River Basin Management: Strategies for Collaborative Planning, Problem Solving, and Conflict Management, presented in Gaborone, Botswana by CDR Associates, 28th January – 1st February 2002.

FURTHER EXPOSURE (TRAVELLING WHILE ON BUSINESS)

Dr. Akweenda visited the following States mainly on business: Angola, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Germany, Finland, France, Ireland, Kenya (on transit), Lesotho, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mozambique, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland (on transit), United Kingdom, United States of America, Democratic Republic of Congo (on transit), Zambia and Zimbabwe.

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES (CURRENT MEMBERSHIP)

  • Society of Advocates of the Republic of Namibia, since March 2008.
  • Law Society of Namibia, since May 1997.
  • Alumni of London School of Economics and Political Science, and University College London (University of London).
  • Member of Convocation of the University of London. 

EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS FROM MARCH 2008 TO PRESENT

  • At the Bar as Member of the Society of Advocates of Namibia.
  • Akweenda has been practicing law in all areas of the legal profession, including Public International Law; arbitration – municipal law and international law including appearing as Counsel for Namibia before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in a matter related to interpretation of two Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) agreements where Namibia was successful; appearing as Counsel for Namibia in the dispute brought by Canada and Norway against the European Union on the measures prohibiting importation of seal products in European Union where Namibia & Other States intervened as Third Parties before the Panel appointed by World Trade Organization (WTO), heard on 18 – 20 February 2013 (WTO Panel) and 1, 18 and 19 March 2014 (WTO Appellate Body) in Geneva – challenge was successful per Judgment of 22 May 2014; class action; environmental law; telecommunication; review applications; labour matters; appointed as Assessor in terms of Nursing Act of 2004 and Medical and Dental Act of 2004 to advise Professional Conduct Committee at hearings in 2011, 2012 & 2013; corporate governance; and water law cases. The water law case which ended up in the Supreme Court is Namib Plains Farming and Tourism CC v Valencia Uranium (Pty) Ltd; acted as arbitrator in MVA matter (claim for damages) in 2011, and delivered awards in as an arbitrator in commercial matters in 2011, 2012 and 2017; acted as chairperson of several disciplinary hearings including those where Chief Executive Officer were charged; election laws – acted also as counsel for SWAPO Party opposing applications on two occasions where the results of National Assembly elections were challenged by other political parties.
  • Appointed by Law Society of Namibia and by private institutions to act as mediator/conciliator/arbitrators in several matters.