Five jurists sworn in as ECOWAS Court begins new chapter
President of Senegal and Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has charged five newly appointed judges of the ECOWAS Court of Justice to uphold the rule of law, impartiality and integrity in the discharge of their duties.
Faye gave the charge on Tuesday in Abuja while administering the oath of office to the new judges of the regional court.
The new judges are Désiré Henri Aihou of Benin, Justice Awa Bah of The Gambia, Charlyne M. Brumskine of Liberia, Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu of Nigeria and Dr Yaouza Ouro-Sama of Togo.
They were appointed for a non-renewable four-year tenure by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its 69th Ordinary Session held in Lungi, Sierra Leone, on July 19, 2026.
Faye said the swearing-in ceremony was significant because it marked the judges’ commitment to serving the West African Community, dispensing justice fairly and acting in good conscience.
He noted that ECOWAS was operating in a period of significant political, economic, security and environmental challenges, making respect for the rule of law essential to regional cooperation and integration.
According to him, the ECOWAS Court has a crucial responsibility to ensure compliance with the treaties and other legal instruments governing the Community.
He said the court, through its decisions, protects rights, reminds individuals and institutions of their obligations and helps strengthen public confidence in ECOWAS institutions.
Faye urged the judges to allow the oath they had taken to guide their decisions throughout their tenure.
“The oath you have just taken must guide each of your decisions. It enjoins you to render justice to all with equity, to examine each case in your soul and conscience, and to exercise your responsibilities with impartiality, without yielding to pressure, whatever its origin,” he said.
The ECOWAS chairman also urged the judges to reflect constantly on the principles contained in their oath, particularly when determining cases before the court.
He said the credibility of the regional court would depend largely on the quality of its judgments and the confidence they inspire.
Faye further challenged the new judges to contribute to efforts aimed at modernising the court and making community justice more effective, accessible and acceptable to citizens across West Africa.
He commended the outgoing judges for their service, saying their commitment had contributed to the development of community law and the promotion of justice, human rights and regional integration.
The outgoing judges are Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves of Cape Verde, Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma of Sierra Leone, Justice Dupe Atoki of Nigeria, Justice Gberi-Bè Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire and Justice Edward Amoako Asante of Ghana.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the ECOWAS Judicial Council and First President of the Supreme Court of Senegal, Justice Mouhamadou Mansour Mbaye, congratulated the new judges and described their appointment as both recognition and an “eminent responsibility” to serve the law with independence, impartiality, integrity and courage.
Mbaye said ECOWAS’ objective of bringing member states and their citizens closer together could not be fully achieved without a functioning rule-of-law system based on common, independent and uniformly applied rules.
He described the ECOWAS Court as a pillar of regional integration through its responsibility for interpreting Community law, resolving disputes within its jurisdiction and strengthening the protection of fundamental rights.
The Judicial Council chairman reminded the judges that judicial independence was not a privilege of judicial officers but a fundamental guarantee for litigants.
“Your independence must be constant, your impartiality unquestionable, and your integrity irreproachable,” he said.
He also stressed the need for ECOWAS institutions and other stakeholders to ensure that judgments of the regional court were respected and implemented.
According to him, justice remains incomplete when judgments are not enforced, urging stronger cooperation within the regional judicial space.
Mbaye also called for enhanced judicial dialogue between the ECOWAS Court and national courts, saying the different legal traditions across West Africa should be regarded as a strength rather than an obstacle to regional integration.
On his part, President of the ECOWAS Commission, President-General Birame Diop, described the swearing-in as more than a ceremonial exercise, saying it represented the new judges’ commitment to Community law and the citizens of the region.
Diop said the oath marked the point at which the judges were expected to put aside personal interests and external influence and become guardians of the ECOWAS legal order and fundamental rights.
He noted that the oath being administered before the supreme organ of the Community demonstrated the importance attached to the authority and independence of the court.
According to him, the ceremony also represented a pact of mutual trust between the ECOWAS Authority and the judges, upon which the credibility of the court and the regional integration process rests.
Diop said the ECOWAS Court had become one of the most visible and accessible institutions of the Community, particularly because individuals can approach it to seek redress for alleged violations of their rights.
He said such accessibility had given practical expression to the vision of an “ECOWAS of the Peoples”, rather than an organisation focused solely on member states.
The ECOWAS Commission president called for continued efforts to preserve and strengthen the court’s accessibility and jurisprudence, particularly in the area of human rights.
The five judges were appointed pursuant to the December 2025 Supplementary Act SA.1/12/25 relating to the Community Court of Justice.
Under Article 3 of the Act, the court is to comprise five independent judges selected from persons of high moral character who are nationals of ECOWAS member states and possess qualifications required for appointment to a Supreme Court or similarly ranked court.
Candidates must also be seasoned legal advisers of recognised competence in international law, particularly Community or regional integration law, with at least 20 years of professional experience.
Article 5 of the Supplementary Act requires each judge to take an oath of office or make a solemn declaration before the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government before assuming office.
The five new judges are expected to elect a President and Vice-President from among themselves for a two-year term upon assumption of office.
