Human rights and legal pluralism in legal development aid: insights from sub-Saharan Africa

This article examines the main strategies followed by legal development actors in order to improve the human rights record of local law institutions in four countries of the African region in which case studies were conducted: Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Zambia. Based on an analysis of the characteristics of the legal landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa and of key insights generated by the socio-legal scholarship on legal pluralism and human rights, the article argues that most of these interventions may lead to superficial results as they fail to adopt an empirical perspective on legal pluralism and a critical approach to human rights. Finally, the article reflects on how international actors can support alternative strategies, and on why this is necessary in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond