Despite the court’s significant progress in addressing human rights violations across the sub-region, the lack of enforcement remains a persistent challenge.
Speaking during the Annual Judges’ Retreat in Suleja, Niger State, the Chief Registrar of the ECOWAS Court, Dr. Yaouza Ouro-Sama, emphasized the need for political will to back the court’s decisions.
“The Supplementary Act of 2012 outlines a legal framework for imposing sanctions on non-compliant member states. However, only the Council of Heads of State can enforce these sanctions,” Dr. Ouro-Sama stated. “We recently presented the status of enforcement to the Council of Ministers. In December, we expect the matter to be escalated for a decision by the Heads of State.”
Dr. Ouro-Sama noted that while some judgments have been enforced by regional institutions, greater efforts are required. “Over the past two years, we’ve seen a noticeable increase in the enforcement of judgments. Our continued engagement with member states and institutions is key to sustaining this progress,” he added.
Meanwhile, the President of the ECOWAS Court, Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, highlighted the importance of the retreat in enhancing the court’s operational efficiency.
“This retreat marks the first under the new management. Our primary focus is to review and validate essential draft policies, including a strategy on arbitration, proposed amendments to court protocols, and guidelines for the Chief Registrar,” Gonçalves said.
He called for active participation from attendees and proposed the formation of a committee to monitor the implementation of recommendations from the retreat, ensuring periodic updates to the court’s management.
