For the latest in our series profiling key partner organisations in IRLI's network, working in countries around the world, we caught up with Justice Zione Ntaba, about her work as Lead Coordinator at Justice Advocacy Africa, Malawi. Justice Ntaba shares her impressive journey from law school to becoming a pivotal figure in trial advocacy training and human rights work across Malawi, Uganda, Botswana, and Kenya.
Justice Zione Ntaba, Lead Coordinator at Justice Advocacy Africa.
Our core mission centers on enhancing access to justice through skilled legal representation. We emphasise pro bono services for underserved communities, ensuring that trained lawyers understand their professional responsibility to serve those who cannot afford legal services."
Firstly, can you introduce yourself with your name, title, and where you are based?
I am Justice Zione Ntaba, serving as a Judge of the High Court and Board Member/Malawi Program Director for Justice Advocacy Africa (JAA), based in Zomba, Malawi. My dual role allows me to bring judicial insight to trial advocacy training while maintaining strong connections with legal practitioners across Africa.
An introduction circle taking place at a mini trial advocacy day.
How long have you been with Justice Advocacy Africa?
My journey with JAA began with its inception in 2009, though the foundation was laid in 2003, through the first trial advocacy training in Blantyre, Malawi. Over these years, I've witnessed the organization's growth from a small initiative to a respected regional legal training organisation.
What was your experience before Justice Advocacy Africa? How did you get into this kind of work?
I joined JAA shortly after law school, eager to develop my advocacy skills. Following initial trial advocacy training in 2003, I honed my litigation expertise in Malawi's courts. A pivotal moment came in 2006 when I attended specialised training at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) in the United States under JAA before its formalisation. This experience transformed my understanding of advocacy and legal education. A few years ago in 2011 after formally setting up JAA, I completed a couple of Training of Trainers, marking the beginning of my dedicated career in trial advocacy training. The skills acquired during this period continue to influence my approach to trial advocacy training.
Can you describe your current role? What are your main responsibilities?
As Board Director, I collaborate with distinguished colleagues to shape JAA's strategic direction across our four vibrant chapters in Malawi, Uganda, Botswana, and Kenya. Each chapter presents unique challenges and opportunities in trial advocacy training. In my role as National Program Director for Malawi, I oversee our comprehensive training initiatives, cultivate essential partnerships with legal institutions, and guide our local chapter's development. This dual responsibility allows me to influence both the policy and practical implementation of our programmes.
The Justice Advocacy Africa team, Malawi at mini trial advocacy day.
Please talk us through some of the work of Justice Advocacy Africa, past and present.
JAA has established itself as a premier provider of professional advocacy training for African lawyers across Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, and Botswana. Since 2009, we've successfully trained over 3,000 lawyers, fostering partnerships with law societies, universities, law schools, and human rights organisations. Our training methodology combines international best practices with local context, ensuring relevance and effectiveness. We particularly focus on developing practical skills that lawyers can immediately apply in their practice as our trial advocacy is mostly practical with very little theory or lecturers. I can safely say JAA training is different from other trial advocacy training programs in the 4 countries. It is experiential, that is, learning by doing. Trial advocacy is a skill that is best learned in a participatory, experiential program.
It should be emphasised that JAA trainers do so on a pro bono basis as that is the ethos behind the organisation. We train because we are committed to transferring the skills others imparted to us.
Our team's commitment to mutual support and professional development has been crucial to sustaining long-term engagement in challenging human rights work. JAA work is also extremely fun despite its serious agenda as such it helps with the pressures, both in the pulled out quote and the main piece."
What are the main human rights issues you are currently working on?
Our core mission centers on enhancing access to justice through skilled legal representation. We emphasise pro bono services for underserved communities, ensuring that trained lawyers understand their professional responsibility to serve those who cannot afford legal services. Through our programmes, we have seen significant improvements in the quality of legal representation available to marginalised communities.
A trial at the end of the training, with Justice Zione as a service a clerk and Justice Mambulasa as Faculty Judge.
Our partnership with Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI) exemplifies how shared values and complementary expertise can enhance access to justice."
How do you personally manage the pressures and responsibilities of working in a human rights context?
The exceptional support from both local and international JAA teams provides a robust foundation for managing work-related challenges. Regular mentorship sessions and professional counselling help maintain perspective and emotional balance. The collaborative nature of our work, coupled with strong professional relationships across borders, creates a supportive environment that makes complex work manageable and rewarding. Our team's commitment to mutual support and professional development has been crucial to sustaining long-term engagement in challenging human rights work. JAA work is also extremely fun despite its serious agenda as such it helps with the pressures.
Can you talk us through the relationship between IRLI and Justice Advocacy Africa? How have you worked on the partnership?
Our collaboration with IRLI began through my involvement as a trial advocacy trainer for prosecutors in Lilongwe, showcasing the potential for cooperation in legal training. After a brief pause, we revitalised our partnership in 2023 with a focused mini-training programme. This successful initiative led to an expanded comprehensive training programme for prosecutors and legal aid providers in 2024. The partnership exemplifies how shared values and complementary expertise can enhance access to justice.
It will be noted that the other key element of our approach has been developing partnerships and JAA hopes that this new partnership with IRLI will be one of those partnerships. For instance, the program in Uganda is frequently hosted in the commercial court, and our program in Malawi similarly benefits from court facilities here. These institutional partnerships provide both legitimacy and practical support for our training initiatives.
What's in store for the future at Justice Advocacy Africa? Are there any specific programmes or initiatives planned?
We're developing an enhanced 2025 training programme for prosecutors and legal aid providers, incorporating lessons learned from previous collaborations. This initiative will feature advanced advocacy modules, specialised workshops, and practical sessions designed to strengthen legal professionals' courtroom skills. Our focus remains on sustainable capacity building within the legal community, with particular emphasis on serving vulnerable populations.
See more about Justice Advocacy Africa
Read about IRLI's Malawi Programme