Abigail
Nthuba

Abigail Nthuba is an Attorney from Botswana and is serving her fellowship at the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa. As the founder of the Gender Justice Advocacy & Litigation Center, she provides free legal aid to survivors of gender-based violence. She previously served as State Counsel at the Attorney General’s Chambers and as a Legal Investigator for the Office of the Ombudsman.

She holds an Master of Laws from Georgetown University, where she was a Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa Fellow. She is pursuing a PhD at the University of the Witwatersrand and has been awarded the Canon Collins Scholarship. Her doctoral thesis examines whether, and to what extent, AfCFTA legal instruments recognise and address structural gender inequalities and digital harms, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence and algorithmic bias, that affect African women’s participation in digital trade.

She has contributed to the UN Special Rapporteur’s report on consent and served as a National Expert for the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law. She has been appointed to the UNDP GEF/SGP Technical Advisory Group.

During her fellowship, Abigail aims to strengthen regional feminist litigation strategies and advance the implementation and enforceability of decisions issued by Africa’s human rights bodies.