The problem that necessitated the thesis was the various reports of environmental and human rights abuses of the Indigenous peoples in Africa by transnational corporations, the majority of which are foreign corporations. In addition, the international community has been very reluctant to impose direct human rights obligations on transnational corporations, thereby creating more room for them to avoid being accountable for human rights issues. To address this, Ugwu uses the African Approach to International Law as an interpretative tool to aid judicial bodies in Africa in the interpretation of norms and rights, especially as they pertain to the protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples and the accountability of transnational corporations in Africa.
Before joining the University of Silesia in October 2020, Ugwu graduated from Bournemouth University in the UK in 2019, obtaining an LL.M. in Public International Law with distinction. In 2018, he obtained an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Rights from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. At this same university, he got his LL.B. in 2014 and subsequently enrolled at the Nigerian Law School Abuja, where he qualified to be called to the Nigerian Bar.
In 2022, Ugwu obtained the prestigious Preludium grant from the Polish National Science Centre. The grant, which is to run until 2025, is titled “Business Activities of European Corporations in Africa: A New International Law Approach to Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Environment” and in the sum of PLN 166,753. Ugwu has published widely and has presented papers at various international conferences. His publications can be assessed on Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ikechukwu-Ugwu.
