Traditionally, African states have played a very active and influential position in both the design and development of international investment law.

This book reviews the types of Bilateral Investment Treaties concluded by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Member States, using Uganda as a case study, with the objective of establishing the investment treaty practice of African states. In so doing, the text sets out to examine whether African treaty practice conforms or differs from general investment law. While reviewing this practice, the text also explores the extent to which the emerging investment treaty practice interferes or restrains legitimate policy making by African states.

Ultimately, this book argues that there has been a paradigm shift in the investment treaty practice of African states. Whereas historically they have argued for and defended their state sovereignty they now adopt, via BIT’s, a more peculiar position of acquiescence. This text proposes how, going forward, African states might re-assert their independence and contribute to the further development of international investment law in a meaningful and pro-active way.