The President of Senegal and Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has sworn in five new judges of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja.
The judges, who will serve four-year non-renewable terms, took their oaths of office at the ceremony on Tuesday.
The new judges are Desire Henri Aihou of the Republic, Awa Bah of The Gambia, Charlyne Brumskine of Liberia, Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu of Nigeria and Dr Yaouza Ouro-Sama of Togo.
Faye charged the judges to discharge their responsibilities with impartiality, integrity and commitment to protecting the rights of citizens across the region.
He stressed the need for stronger commitment to human rights, noting that the Community Court had a central role in ensuring respect for citizens’ rights and strengthening confidence in ECOWAS institutions.
“By making decisions, it protects the rights, reminds everyone of their obligations and strengthens confidence in our institutions,” Faye said.
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The ECOWAS Chairman urged the judges to administer justice equitably and without pressure, adding that every case should be examined according to their conscience.
He maintained that the standard expected of the judges was both legal and ethical, requiring rigour, restraint and fidelity to their mandate.
Faye also tasked them with helping to strengthen the court and make community justice more effective and accessible to citizens across the region.
Speaking at the ceremony, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, General Birame Diop, described the swearing-in as more than a protocol formality.
Diop noted that the oath marked the point at which judges set aside personal interests and external influences to serve community law.
He disclosed that work was underway on the possible establishment of an Appellate Chamber for the Community Court and called for stronger cooperation among the ECOWAS Commission, Judicial Council, Court of Justice, Parliament and member states to strengthen the regional justice system.
For his part, the Chief Justice of Sierra Leone and President of the ECOWAS Judicial Council, Justice Komba Kamanda, called for stronger implementation of decisions of the Community Court.
Kamanda stressed that the effectiveness of the regional judicial system depended largely on the extent to which member states and institutions respected and implemented the court’s decisions.
He also called for stronger dialogue between the ECOWAS Court and national jurisdictions, while urging the newly inaugurated judges to maintain their independence, impartiality and integrity throughout their tenure.
