President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Ricardo Gonçalves, says the regional court is at a critical crossroads over challenges including enforcement of judgements, human rights protection and regional integration.
He spoke in Dakar, Senegal, at the opening of the Court’s 2026 Annual International Conference, marking its 25th anniversary.
Justice Gonçalves said the conference would seek practical solutions to strengthen the Court, including plans for an Appeal Division and the adoption of new Arbitration Rules.
Representing ECOWAS Commission President, General Birame Diop, Director of Legal Affairs, Gaye Sowe, described the gap between the Court’s decisions and their execution as a major challenge.
He said the Commission would continue engaging member-states to ensure compliance with the Court’s judgements.
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Senegal’s Supreme Court President, Justice Mouhamadou Mbaye, and Minister of Justice, Moussa Sarr, also called for stronger regional judicial cooperation and an effective Community justice system.
Keynote speaker, Professor Kofi Abotsi, said the Court’s future was inseparable from that of West Africa, urging governments, lawyers and civil society to support judicial independence.
The conference is themed: “The Community Court of Justice – ECOWAS at the Crossroads: Justice, Innovation, Protection of Human Rights and the Future of Regional Integration in West Africa.”
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(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
