Refugee Protection and International Refugee Law Training Course

This five day course gives professionals a working command of international and African refugee law and the confidence to apply it. It covers the legal definition of a refugee, the asylum and refugee status determination process, the rights and obligations of the displaced, and the durable solutions that end displacement lawfully, with deliberate emphasis on the 1969 OAU Convention and the regional frameworks that shape protection across the continent. By the end, participants can locate the governing law in a real case, weigh the evidence and reach a fair, defensible protection decision.

Africa carries one of the heaviest displacement burdens in the world, hosting millions of refugees and asylum seekers across protracted and recurring crises. Behind every one of those lives sits a legal question: who qualifies for protection, what rights follow, and what lawful solutions exist to end their displacement. The professionals who answer those questions, in government offices, border posts, courts, camps and NGO compounds, carry enormous responsibility, yet many were never given firm grounding in the law that should guide them.

This course closes that gap. It builds a working command of international refugee law from first principles, then applies it to the decisions practitioners actually face: determining status fairly, upholding non-refoulement, protecting people with specific needs, and advising on durable solutions. It pays deliberate attention to the African legal architecture, particularly the 1969 OAU Convention and its expanded refugee definition, which extends protection well beyond the global minimum and shapes practice across the continent.

By the end of the five days, participants will not simply know the conventions. They will be able to read a case, locate the governing law, weigh the evidence and reach a defensible decision, while keeping the dignity and safety of the displaced person at the centre of every judgement.

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

1. 01Apply the 1951 Convention, 1967 Protocol and 1969 OAU Convention to real protection situations.
2. 02Distinguish the global and African refugee definitions and know when each applies.
3. 03Conduct and assess refugee status determination with fairness and credibility.
4. 04Uphold non-refoulement and the rights of refugees in everyday practice.
5. 05Identify and respond to the needs of refugees in vulnerable situations.
6. 06Advise on durable solutions including voluntary repatriation, local integration and resettlement.
7. 07Navigate national refugee legislation and regional frameworks across Africa.
8. 08Strengthen protection monitoring, advocacy and coordination.
9. 09Address emerging challenges including climate displacement and mixed migration.

This course is designed for:

•Protection and legal officers

•Government refugee affairs and status determination staff

•Immigration and border officials

•UNHCR, UN agency and NGO practitioners

•Lawyers, paralegals and legal aid providers

•Humanitarian programme and field staff

•Policy makers and advisers on asylum and migration

•Researchers and academics working on forced displacement

The course follows an applied, participant centred methodology built for working professionals. Legal concepts are introduced through concise expert input, then immediately tested against real and simulated cases so that learning is anchored in practice rather than theory. African case studies and national frameworks run throughout, so the law is never abstract.

•Expert led sessions and facilitated discussion

•Real and simulated case analysis

•Status determination role plays and decision clinics

•Group work and structured peer exchange

•A daily practical session and a final action planning clinic

Organizations that invest in this training for their teams will benefit from:
•More consistent, defensible and lawful protection decisions
•Reduced legal and reputational risk from flawed determinations
•Stronger compliance with international and regional obligations
•Faster and fairer handling of asylum and status caseloads
•Better coordination between legal, protection and operational teams
•Improved quality and credibility of protection reporting
•Greater trust from partners, courts and oversight bodies
•A workforce able to uphold the organisation's protection mandate

Participants that enroll in this training will benefit from:

•Confidence to interpret and apply refugee law in real situations
•Sharper judgement in status determination and protection decisions
•The ability to recognise and prevent unlawful refoulement
•Greater command of the African refugee framework, not only the global one
•Stronger interviewing and credibility assessment skills
•A more authoritative voice in protection discussions and decisions
•A stronger professional profile in a specialised, in demand field
•A practical toolkit of frameworks, checklists and references to use immediately

At Strategic Revenue Africa, our certification goes beyond proof of attendance—it represents practical competence and measurable capability. Upon successful completion of our training programs, participants are awarded a Certificate of Completion from Strategic Revenue Africa, recognizing their ability to apply acquired knowledge in real-world settings. As an organization focused on architecting sustainable revenue and strengthening organizational performance, our certifications signal that participants are equipped with skills that drive results, not just theory.

No formal legal qualification is required. The course is designed for professionals with some exposure to refugee, humanitarian or migration work, whether through government, UN agencies, NGOs or legal practice. A basic familiarity with the refugee context and a working command of English are sufficient. Participants who bring live cases or institutional challenges gain the most from the practical sessions.