African Court delegation visits ECOWAS Court of justice

The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has undertaken a week-long exchange visit to the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Court of Justice) at its seat in Abuja, Nigeria, as part of experience sharing and strengthening the existing relationship between the two courts.

The peer-to-peer visit comes a year after the two courts renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two institutions in June 2023, which endorses the continuous exchange of information and expertise while harmonizing their roles in the promotion of justice across the continent.

Leading the 13-member delegation from the African Court, Dr. Sègnonna Horace Adjolohoun, Head of the Legal Division, said the visit is clear evidence that the two courts are committed to pursuing their cooperation by sharing best practices towards the improvement of their respective roles, mainly in dispensing human rights justice in Africa.

In a statement made available to the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) based in Tema-Ghana, the African Court and ECOWAS Court have established cooperation that may rightly be considered a model of judicial dialogue in Africa.

“It is undeniable that the two courts have achieved judicial dialogue at the level of judges from both bilateral and multilateral perspectives, involving other regional courts such as the East African Court of Justice.

“It has become critical that this engagement translate at the level of the two courts’s registries to enhance the technical exchanges that are necessary to enhance institutional cooperation,” he said.

Dr. Adjolohoun expressed optimism that the peer-to-peer visit will achieve that aim and urged officers of both courts to conduct discussions in a manner that leads to outcomes that have the potential to form joint policy decisions.

Welcoming the African Court delegation, the Vice President of the ECOWAS Court, Justice Gberi-Bè Ouattara, expressed satisfaction at the existing warm relationship between the two courts, whose roles reinforce each other in promoting human rights and the rule of law.

He said the visit would not only cement the collaboration but also activate the necessary steps for the implementation of all commitments made in the MoU.

Echoing the Vice President’s remarks was Chief Registrar of the ECOWAS Court, Dr. Yaouza Ouro-Sama, who stressed that the judicial cooperation agreement between the two courts goes beyond improving systems as it benefits the African continent in improving and advancing the delivery of justice.

“Learning from systems that are efficient and working while also drawing lessons from challenges faced by the courts allows us to serve the African continent with judicial diligence while being mindful of those that the courts exist to serve,” he said.

During the week, the two courts are scheduled to have a dialogue on issues of joint interest, such as the lessons learned and challenges to adjudicating matters concerning recent developments such as political participation, elections, and democracy-related rights, judicial independence, as well as gross and massive human rights violations.

The exchange also involved staff in charge of the administrative operations of the two courts, including legal, human resources, language, procurement, information and communication, library, and documentation.

The African Court delegation had an opportunity to attend a hybrid session of the Court and later paid a courtesy call to judges of the ECOWAS Court and to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

A delegation of the ECOWAS Court visited the African Court at its seat in Arusha, Tanzania, in June 2023.

The African Court is a continental court established by African countries to ensure the protection of human and people's rights in Africa.

It complements the protective mandate of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and aims to enhance the protection of human rights on the African continent.

The African Court is composed of eleven judges, nationals of Member States of the African Union, elected in their capacities. It meets four times a year in ordinary sessions and may hold extraordinary sessions.

The ECOWAS Court of Justice is the legal organ of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional integration community consisting of 15 member states in West Africa.