Caroline Ncube is a Board member at African Trade Foundation, which was established in June 2023 as a non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing regional and continental trade and investment in Africa, and facilitating Africa’s integration into the global economy. The Africa Trade Foundation seeks to empower the African continent through trade and investment, by connecting regional markets and supporting Africa’s integration in global value chains.
Caroline is a professor and the DSI -NRF SARChI Research Chair in intellectual property, innovation and development in the department of Commercial Law at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She is also affiliated with the intellectual property unit. She served as Head of the Department of Commercial Law from 2014 – 2016 and again from February – December 2022. She was deputy dean, postgraduate studies in 2017 and Jan – June 2019. Currently, she is a member of the African Policy, Research & Advisory Group on STI, a member of the advisory board of the African Network of International Economic Law (AfIELN) and of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). Caroline also serves on the AU Scientific Technical Research Commission ASRIC Taskforce on IP Protection in joint research and collaboration during outbreaks. Furthermore, she is a member of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) trade and industrial development advisory council.
Caroline NcubeI holds a PhD in IP Law from the University of Cape Town, an LLM from the University of Cambridge and an LLB from the University of Zimbabwe. Before joining UCT in 2005, she lectured at the University of Limpopo (formerly University of the North) and the University of Zimbabwe. Prior to that, she practiced briefly as an attorney at Coghlan, Welsh & Guest.
Caroline has served as an expert for various institutions including the African Union, World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
She is a member of various academic associations such as the International Association for the Advancement of Teaching and Research in Intellectual Property (ATRIP), the South African Association of Intellectual Property Law and Information Technology Law Teachers and Researchers (AIPLITL) and the Society of Law Teachers of Southern Africa (SLTSA). She is affiliated with the University of Ottawa as an Associate Member, Centre for Law, Technology and Society.
Caroline Ncube serves as founding co-editor of the South African Intellectual Property Law Journal. Furthermore, she serves on the editorial boards of: Law, Technology and Humans, African Journal of International Economic Law, Journal of World IP, the Journal of Corporate and Commercial Law and Practice (JCCL&P), the African Journal of Intellectual Property (AJIP), the African Journal of Information and Communication (AJIC).
