ECOWAS court laments implementation challenges

Ecowas-logoTHE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has lamented that one of its greatest challenges was implementation of its rulings by member states.

Created by the provisions of Article 6 and 15 of the revised treaty, the Community Court of Justice (CCJ) said it has passed 95 verdicts comprising 46 cases of full-fledged judgment and 49 interim judgment with 39 cases pending before it.

President of the Court, Justice Awa Nana Daboya, a Togolese, who stated this in Benin City said she was on a mission to sensitise the ECOWAS communities on the activities of the court. She stressed that the principal mandate and mission of the court was to ensure the observance of the principle of equity and human rights within the ECOWAS community.

Daboya said the court was saddled with the responsibility of the “interpretation and application of the texts of the community comprising the Treaty, conventions, Protocols, Regulations, Directives, Decisions and all other Subsidiary legal instruments adopted by the ECOWAS community, including legal advisory opinion on matters that are within its advisory jurisdiction such as cases of violation of human rights.”

She said the court was open to all member-states and the commission for actions brought for failure by members to fulfill their obligations, ECOWAS institutions, individuals and corporate bodies for any Act of the community, which violates the rights of such individual or corporate bodies.

Daboya, who led a seven-country member delegation from Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Cape Verde, Republic of Benin, to the programme, with the theme, “Moving from ECOWAS States to ECOWAS People,” said areas the court was focusing on included violence against women. She however said that the court has no competence on electoral matters.