Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The newly appointed judges of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice have pledged to uphold judicial independence and integrity, sort out delays in adjudication and strengthen compliance with the court docket’s judgments, amid renewed emphasis on restoring public confidence in regional justice supply.
The judges made the dedication as they started a five-day orientation programme on Monday, in opposition to the backdrop of rising institutional calls for for well timed justice, neutral adjudication and efficient enforcement of judicial choices throughout the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
President of the Court, Justice Charlyne Brumskine, who outlined the priorities of the brand new judicial school, mentioned the credibility of the regional court docket trusted the equity, impartiality and integrity demonstrated in each case.
Brumskine, in her opening handle, challenged the judges to make judicial excellence, collegiality and efficient adjudication the defining ideas of their tenure, stressing that their duties prolonged past the dedication of disputes to strengthening confidence within the court docket as a regional judicial establishment.
She recognized judicial independence and integrity, collegiality, and effectiveness because the three priorities that should information the brand new school, emphasising the necessity for rigorous deliberations, mutual respect and consistency in judicial choices.
The court docket president additionally highlighted the necessity to handle delays within the administration of justice, insisting on the significance of well timed adjudication and alignment with the court docket’s Strategic Plan for 2026–2030.
A serious concern she raised was compliance with the court docket’s judgments, calling for sustained engagement with ECOWAS member states to strengthen implementation of its choices.
The emphasis on compliance locations the connection between the court docket and member states on the centre of efforts to enhance the effectiveness of regional justice, because the authority of a court docket relies upon not solely on the judgments it delivers but in addition on their implementation.
Congratulating the judges on their assumption of workplace on October 13, Brumskine mentioned service on the regional court docket required a radical understanding of the ECOWAS authorized order, the court docket’s jurisdiction and procedures, and its jurisprudence developed over greater than twenty years.
The five-day orientation, themed ‘Becoming an ECOWAS Judge: Judicial Excellence, Institutional Integration and Effective Adjudication,’ is meant to put together the judges for the calls for of their judicial duties and familiarise them with the establishment’s operational framework.
In his welcome handle, the Acting Chief Registrar, Dr Ousmane Diallo, mentioned the programme was designed to guarantee the graceful integration of the judges and their government assistants into the court docket’s institutional and administrative methods.
He mentioned contributors could be launched to the court docket’s organisational construction, departmental duties, administrative procedures and coordination mechanisms, whereas gaining a clearer understanding of the roles of judicial, authorized, administrative and different assist providers.
Diallo added that the programme would strengthen communication and collaboration amongst judges, government assistants, heads of departments and different workers, with the last word goal of enhancing institutional continuity and operational effectivity.
The anticipated outcomes embrace a greater understanding of the court docket’s assist methods, stronger skilled relationships and improved workers preparedness to help the brand new judicial school in discharging its capabilities.
Other judges collaborating within the orientation are Justice Désire Henri Aihou, Vice-President of the Court; Justice Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu; Justice Yaouza Ouro-Sama; and Justice Awa Bah.
Brumskine acknowledged the contributions of Diallo, the facilitator and former vice-president of the court docket, Professor Friday C. Nwoke, and the court docket’s workers to the organisation of the programme.
The orientation marks the start of the brand new judges’ integration into the court docket’s institutional framework, with judicial independence, integrity, well timed justice and compliance with judgments recognized as central to strengthening the supply of justice inside the West African regional group.
