Speaker details

Biography

Ms. Bola Akinsete is an international criminal justice practitioner, justice sector reformer, with over 15 years of experience across domestic and international legal systems. With an unwavering commitment to victim-centred justice, accountability, and systemic reform, she works at the intersection of law, technology, and policy to advance access to justice and strengthen institutional frameworks. Her legal career encompasses international criminal law, human rights advocacy, criminal justice reform, victim and witness protection, and transformative policy development. Ms. Akinsete has delivered capacity-building programmes and offered technical assistance to law enforcement on prosecuting sexual and gender-based violence, implementing restorative justice frameworks, and modernizing justice delivery systems. She currently works as Legal Officer at the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP), UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in Arusha, Tanzania, where she supports the OTP’s mandate to narrow impunity gaps by ensuring accountability for crimes committed in the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi, including support to national jurisdictions and providing access to evidence, as well as offering legal, investigative, prosecutorial and strategic assistance. She also serves as Alternate Focal Point for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse prevention at the IRMCT Arusha branch. As Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Attorney General she contributed to several reform initiatives including the first virtual court hearing during COVID-19 Practice Directions issued by the Judiciary on remote hearing, the Bail Information Management System, and comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures for prosecution-led investigations, digitize the process of applying for certified true copies of Prosecution Legal Advice and the establishment of the Restorative Justice Centre, in Lagos State. Ms. Akinsete holds a Master of Laws in International Human Rights Law from De Montfort University, UK, and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration at the East and Southern Africa Management Institute. She earned her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Wolverhampton, UK, and is a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Her expertise has been featured in her recent publication "Giving teeth to Victims Assistance and Witness Protection Law," reflecting her passion for strengthening protective frameworks for crime victims.