Cooperation between Italy and African countries: launch of the new edition of the project ‘Rule of law and judicial cooperation in Africa (2025-2026)’
The first course for the judiciary of Niger has been successfully completed. The course was organised as part of the project ‘Rule of Law and Judicial Cooperation in Africa (2025-2026)’, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and coordinated by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, with the collaboration of local counterparts.
From 12 to 14 January 2026, in Niamey (Niger), the first advanced training course was held as part of the new edition of the project ‘Rule of Law and Judicial Cooperation in Africa (2025-2026)’, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and implemented by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, in collaboration with the École de Formation Judiciaire du Niger (EFJN).
The initiative is part of the activities of Africa Connect, the interdisciplinary project launched by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in order to optimise the research and training activities that various groups have been carrying out in Africa for over ten years.
The course, hosted at the EFJN headquarters, was dedicated to the theme of ‘Justice and New Technologies’, with a particular focus on the challenges posed by cybercrime to international judicial cooperation. The initiative involved local magistrates in an intensive three-day programme, divided into theoretical sessions, analysis of concrete cases and practical exercises.
The programme addressed, among other things, the impact of new technologies on the functioning of judicial institutions, the main international and regional legal instruments on cybercrime, the management and admissibility of digital evidence, and judicial cooperation mechanisms. The training activities were conducted by Italian experts Lorenzo Gasbarri, Associate Professor of International Law and project coordinator, and Gaia Fiorinelli, researcher in Criminal Law at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies.
The closing ceremony, held on 14 January, was attended by H.E. Italian Ambassador Roberto Orlando, who confirmed the support of the Farnesina and the Italian Embassy in Niamey for the success of these cooperation activities.
As a testament to the close cooperation with Nigerien partners, the Italian delegation was also invited to hold a conference entitled “Africa facing climate change: a discussion on the request for an advisory opinion before the African Court on Human and Peoples” Rights' at the Abdou Moumouni University in Niamey, aimed at an audience of university students.
