Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The newly appointed judges of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice have pledged to uphold judicial independence and integrity, deal with 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 tackle, challenged the judges to make judicial excellence, collegiality and efficient adjudication the defining rules of their tenure, stressing that their obligations 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 tackle 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 significant 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 additionally on their implementation.
Congratulating the judges on their assumption of workplace on October 13, Brumskine mentioned service on the regional court docket required an intensive understanding of the ECOWAS authorized order, the court docket’s jurisdiction and procedures, and its jurisprudence developed over greater than 20 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 obligations and familiarise them with the establishment’s operational framework.
In his welcome tackle, the Acting Chief Registrar, Dr Ousmane Diallo, mentioned the programme was designed to guarantee the graceful integration of the judges and their govt assistants into the court docket’s institutional and administrative programs.
He mentioned contributors could be launched to the court docket’s organisational construction, departmental obligations, administrative procedures and coordination mechanisms, whereas gaining a clearer understanding of the roles of judicial, authorized, administrative and different help companies.
Diallo added that the programme would strengthen communication and collaboration amongst judges, govt assistants, heads of departments and different employees, with the final word goal of bettering institutional continuity and operational effectivity.
The anticipated outcomes embody a greater understanding of the court docket’s help programs, stronger skilled relationships and improved employees 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 employees 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 throughout the West African regional group.
