Africa's mineral and energy resources are central to its economies, livelihoods and development. The laws that govern these resources shape who benefits, who bears the costs, and how African countries navigate changing energy systems and the global transition to a low-carbon economy. The Chair in Mineral and Energy Resources Law in Africa (MERLiA) builds rigorous African scholarship at the intersection of minerals, energy, climate and development. Based in the Department of Private Law in UCT's Faculty of Law, the Chair has played a significant role in establishing mineral and petroleum resources law as a recognised field of legal scholarship in South Africa and in developing a wider African community of researchers working in this field.

The Chair's mission is to nurture African expertise in mineral and energy law and to strengthen African leadership in legal education, research and professional training in the resources sector. Its work also creates spaces for dialogue on transparency, accountability and participation in resource governance. The Chair has built a substantial postgraduate training platform, supporting successive generations of LLM, MPhil and doctoral researchers working on mineral, petroleum and energy governance across Africa. The Chair also works to create spaces for dialogue on transparency, accountability and participation in resource governance.

The Chair contributes directly to legal and policy debate. This has included engagement with the reform of South Africa's mineral regulatory framework and collaborative initiatives to strengthen parliamentary capacity in mineral and energy resource governance across Southern and Central Africa. Building on the strong foundations established since the Chair's inception, MERLiA is now expanding its focus across the increasingly connected fields of mineral and energy governance. Its work asks how African legal systems can govern resources in ways that support development, respond to climate and energy transitions, and strengthen the capacity of African institutions and scholars to shape the choices ahead.