Mazi Afam Osigwe hails from Nnewi town in Anambra state. He was born on October 25, 1972. He attended the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus and graduated in 1997.
He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1999. He began his legal career at Chike Chigbue & Co., Abuja, before founding his own firm, LAW FORTE (Legal Practitioners, Corporate Consultants and Notary Public) in 2002.
In 2006, he was appointed as a Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He earned a Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration from Keble College, Oxford in 2010 and became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) in 2011. He also holds an LL.M in Corporate and Commercial Law from the University of Jos and an LL.M in Transnational Commercial Practice from the Centre for International Legal Studies, Austria, in collaboration with Lazarski University, Poland. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree.
Afam has extensive experience in various areas of law, including Corporate and Business Law, Land Law, Banking Law, Intellectual Property, International Commercial Law, Telecommunications, Energy, Oil and Gas Law, Domestic and International Arbitration. He serves as the Company Secretary and Legal Adviser for several companies and has collaborated with law firms on international business law issues.
Active in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam has held several positions, including serving on various committees such as the NBA Abuja Law Reporting Committee, the NBA Abuja Bar Dinner/Awards Committee, and as Secretary for the Committee on Continuing Legal Education. He has also been the Alternate Chairman for the Local Organizing Committee of the NBA’s National Executive Council (NEC) meetings and Annual General Conferences.
Afam’s leadership experience includes serving as the Publicity Secretary (PRO) and Chairman of the NBA Abuja Branch, during which he oversaw significant events and developments. Under his chairmanship, Unity Bar FC achieved notable successes. He was also the General Secretary of the NBA from August 2014 to August 2016, contributing to various initiatives including the introduction of e-voting, uniform NBA identity cards, and insurance covers for lawyers.
He has presented papers at numerous NBA Annual General Conferences, the International Bar Association Conference in Vienna, and various branch law weeks. His paper on legal ethics and self-regulation was particularly well-received.
Afam is committed to community service, providing pro bono legal representation and serving as a prosecutor at the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee. He is a member of several key legal bodies, including the Body of Benchers, the Council of Legal Education, and the General Council of the Bar. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) and a Knight of Saint Christopher.
His hobbies include reading, research, writing, sightseeing, and photography. Afam is married to Ukamaka Osigwe, LL.M (Turin), and they have three children: Chilbuzor, Chiemelie, and Chidumebi. He is also a foster father to Amarachukwu, his late brother’s daughter.