Mariam Momodu (Olafuyi) is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. She specializes in international trade law, law and development and law and globalization. In her doctoral thesis, she re-evaluates economic integration in Africa by exploring the concept of bottom-up economic integration- an analysis of the use of private regulation by non-state actors to facilitate trade within Africa. She also routinely engages in debates about the informal economy and trade facilitation initiatives that affect women and youth in Africa. Mariam is currently a Vanier Scholar at the University of Toronto. She was recently also awarded a Senior Doctoral Fellowship by New College, University of Toronto.
She obtained her undergraduate degree in law from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, where she was elected as the first female president of the law students' society and set a record for the most outstanding academic result from the faculty. She then obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from the University of Cambridge, where she was awarded the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship and the Cambridge Trust Scholarship. During her time at Cambridge, she was a co-editor of the Cambridge Journal of International and Comparative Law and one of the organizers of the annual Cambridge Africa Business Network conference at Judge Business School.
Prior to commencing her doctorate program, Mariam was an adjunct lecturer at the Centre for Law and Business, Lagos. She also worked as in-house counsel for a multinational company and practiced in a tier-one law firm in Nigeria, advising on regional economic integration and trade in Africa.
In addition to her academic endeavours, Mariam is involved in several initiatives that equip young people from underrepresented backgrounds with the skills and knowledge required to access quality education. She also actively advocates for quality education in developing countries.
She has received several recognitions for her work in law, education and development. She was recognized by McKinsey and Co. as one of the 40 Next Generation Women Leaders in Nigeria and was a delegate at the World Youth Forum in 2019.
