Swithin J. Munyantwali

Swithin J. Munyantwali is the Vice Chairman and co-founder of the International Law Institute African Centre for Legal Excellence (ILI-ACLE) and the ILI-South African Centre for Excellence. He is a Senior Advisor at Appleton Luff with experience in international arbitration, legal reform, and corporate governance.

He has served as a Non-Executive Director at the Absa Group, contributing to key governance and compliance committees. He previously chaired Barclays Bank Uganda and Absa Bank Uganda, supporting the banks’ strategic growth and governance initiatives. He recently served as Senior Advisor to Absa Group, supporting its African growth and expansion into international markets.

As a party-appointed arbitrator, Swithin has worked under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) on cases in energy, power, and telecoms. He has held advisory roles with Interpol and UN Habitat and serves as Vice Chairman of the Staff Appeals Tribunal at the East African Development Bank, and Protector at the African Trade Foundation. He is a Member of the Cosmos Club, and American Law Institute.

He is a principal of Serengeti Digital LLC, a Cape Town-based AI start up.

He has lectured at Case Western Reserve University, City University of Hong Kong, Macau University of Science and Technology, and Peking University. He is also a board member of the International Law Institute in Washington, D.C., and the African Philanthropy Forum.

Swithin holds a B.Sc. from St. Joseph’s University, a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University, and an LL.M. from Georgetown University. He is a dual citizen of Uganda and the United Kingdom, a U.S. Permanent Resident, and currently resides in Johannesburg, South Africa, with his family.