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Catalyst for change creates Donald Duke LLM’84 scholarship to lift Africa

December 22, 2014

Duke is fully invested in the future of Nigeria, where he grew up in the period following the country's independence in 1960.
Duke is fully invested in the future of Nigeria, where he grew up in the period following the country’s independence in 1960.
In April 2014, Donald Duke LLM’84 made a major gift to establish the Donald Duke LLM Scholarship Fund at Penn Law. The scholarship is reserved for African students to, in his words, “help bridge the [investment] gap.”

From the Penn Law Journal Fall 2014 issue.

Over the last few years Donald Duke LLM’84 has put his shoulder to the wheel to develop a cable car transit network to unjam the traffic in Lagos, Nigeria, one of the most densely populated cities in the world with at least 17.5 million people, according to a recent census.

In that spirit, Duke is also trying to create a vehicle for the production of more western-trained lawyers who will return home to improve the administration of justice on a continent whose legal and education systems remain ill-equipped to address the chronic problem of low economic productivity, and the ravages of war and disease.

Duke said African leaders must step up to invest in education. Short of that, he is ready to do what he can.

Last April, Duke made a major gift to establish the Donald Duke LLM Scholarship Fund at Penn Law. The scholarship is reserved for African students to, in his words, “help bridge the [investment] gap.”

Duke is fully invested in the future of Nigeria, where he grew up in the period following the country’s independence in 1960. As a member of a close knit upper middle class family, Duke remembers a feeling of optimism tempered by a bitter civil war and military rule, which ended in 1999.

In the years since, Duke has been a catalyst in the drive to develop an aerial transportation system to relieve the average daily commute of three hours in Lagos. Duke was similarly active as governor of Cross River State in southeastern Nigeria, initiating a series of reforms to boost investment and promote business and tourism.

Duke credits his education at Penn Law as a catalyst as well for his achievements. “I loved my time at Penn. It was academically fulfilling and socially exposing,” he said. “It stands out as the crossroad of my life. My time at Penn brought clarity to my future and afforded me the courage to pursue my dreams.”

Duke said a dearth of opportunity for young people exists in Africa due to the weak regulatory structure, which inhibits investment, growth and development. There is also a lag in what he described as an emerging legal system that is behind the western world.

“The need for exposure and a cross-pollination of ideas and practice is urgently required for the benefit of the continent and the rest of the world,” Duke said.

He said that resources from all quarters, including his gift, will contribute to progress in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

“A Penn Law education is world-class and a facilitator to lots of other opportunities,” Duke said.

There is no doubt that it was for him.