WORKSHOP ON MASTERING THE ART OF LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING

6^th-7^th April, 2026                                                                               11^th-12^th June, 2026

11^th-12^th August, 2026                                                                       30^th Nov-1^st Dec, 2026

Introduction

Legislative drafting is the specialized process of converting government policy ideas into clear, precise, and binding legal rules, typically forming acts, bills, or regulations. It involves transforming legislative instructions into legal language, ensuring structural and linguistic quality, and ensuring legal certainty within a constitutional framework. A skilled drafter must ensure accuracy to minimize interpretation issues. 

Legislative Drafting covers the principles, processes, and practical skills involved in converting policies into legally effective legislation. Key areas include understanding the purpose of legislation, the structure of bills and other legislative documents, drafting clear and concise language, and navigating the legislative process. 

The specific content of a legislative drafting course will vary depending on the target audience. However, the core elements outlined above will generally be included to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills for effective legislative drafting. 

Course Contents

Module One: Foundational Concepts

·  The Nature of Legislation: Exploring the purpose and function of legislation within a legal and political system. 

·        Legislative Drafting Principles: Focusing on clarity, precision, consistency, and other essential elements of effective legislative writing. 

·  The Legislative Process: Understanding the stages involved in law-making, from policy formulation to enactment. 

·  Legislative Language and Style: Learning to use appropriate terminology, sentence structure, and grammatical conventions. 

·        Plain Language: Emphasizing the importance of using clear and accessible language in legislation. 

Module Two: Practical Drafting Skills

·     Drafting Instructions: Understanding how to receive and interpret instructions for drafting legislation. 

·    Structuring Bills: Learning how to organize a bill into logical sections, clauses, and schedules. 

·  Drafting Specific Provisions: Gaining experience in drafting different types of clauses, such as those relating to definitions, prohibitions, and enforcement. 

·     Drafting Amendments: Understanding the process and language used to amend existing legislation. 

·   Drafting Delegated Legislation: Learning about the process of creating regulations and other subordinate legislation. 

·  Reviewing and Scrutinizing Drafts: Developing skills in identifying potential issues and ensuring drafts comply with legal requirements. 

Module Three: Advanced Topics

• Policy Formulation: Understanding the role of the legislative drafter in the policy development
  process. 
• Impact Assessment: Analyzing the potential effects of proposed legislation. 
• Use of Technology: Exploring the use of computer-assisted drafting and research tools. 
• International and Comparative Law: Examining different approaches to legislative drafting in various
  jurisdictions. 
• Specific Legislation: Focusing on the drafting of legislation related to particular areas of law. 

Module Four: Capacity Building

• Communication and Collaboration: Developing the ability to work effectively with other stakeholders in the legislative process. 
• Problem-Solving: Learning to identify and resolve drafting challenges. 
• Critical Thinking: Developing the ability to analyze and evaluate legislative proposals. 

Duration: Two (2) days                                                                        Fee: N180,000