Cynthia Ezegwu
The President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, has announced that the regional court is undertaking major reforms to streamline its judicial procedures and enhance the speed and efficiency of justice delivery across West Africa.
Gonçalves made this known on Monday in Niger State during the opening ceremony of the 2025 Judicial Retreat of the Community Court, themed “Efficiency and Effectiveness: Streamlining Processes for a Dynamic ECOWAS Court.”
According to him, the retreat was convened to review the functioning of the Court’s departments, assess their collaboration with the College of Judges, and evaluate the implementation of previous resolutions aimed at improving institutional performance.
“We are taking deliberate steps to reform and streamline our judicial procedures so that justice within the ECOWAS Community is delivered more swiftly, efficiently, and in accordance with the law,” Gonçalves said. “Our procedures must remain faithful to the law while being responsive to the realities of justice delivery in our time.”
He noted that the retreat would focus on comparative judicial practices relating to summary hearings, interim measures, and other key procedural mechanisms essential to ensuring swift and fair adjudication.
The ECOWAS Court President stressed that citizens of member states expect greater efficiency and timeliness in the Court’s rulings, adding that the judiciary must evolve to meet the growing demands of regional integration and the protection of fundamental rights.
He disclosed that participants would also review the Court’s annual performance report—an accountability framework used to measure progress, identify gaps, and define actionable steps for the next judicial year.
Gonçalves emphasized that the credibility of the Court depended on discipline, collaboration, and adherence to institutional roles among judges and staff.
“From this retreat, we must emerge with clear resolutions that will guide our work in the coming year—strengthening collaboration, institutionalising accountability, and improving our judicial procedures to make them more transparent and accessible to litigants,” he added.
He acknowledged challenges such as case backlogs, limited funding, and non-compliance by some member states, which have occasionally hampered the enforcement of the Court’s judgments.
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Also speaking, the Chief Registrar of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Dr. Yaouza Ouro-Sama, revealed that human rights matters now account for more than 90 per cent of all cases filed before the Court.
Ouro-Sama said the Court’s growing reputation stemmed from its principled stance on human rights protection, describing it as one of the most active regional courts in Africa.
“The Court’s human rights mandate has become the hallmark of its judicial activities, with human rights cases constituting over 90 per cent of the matters filed,” he stated. “This elevated profile—both within the sub-region and globally—has drawn increasing interest from legal practitioners, scholars, and stakeholders.”
He attributed the Court’s success to the dedication and intellectual rigour of its judges and stressed the need to sustain the momentum.
Ouro-Sama added that the annual retreat serves as a platform for judges and staff to evaluate the Court’s performance and develop new strategies to improve efficiency and responsiveness in the administration of justice across the subregion.