The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS will convene a high-level bilateral meeting in the Republic of Guinea from March 2 to 4, 2026, as part of renewed efforts to enhance enforcement of its judgments across Member States.
The three-day engagement, organised in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is expected to bring together the Court’s delegation, Guinea’s Competent National Authority (CNA), senior government officials and civil society representatives. Discussions will focus on addressing persistent challenges surrounding the implementation of the Court’s rulings at the national level.
At the centre of the dialogue is the need to bridge the gap between judicial pronouncements and effective execution. While the ECOWAS Court has delivered landmark judgments on human rights, governance and community law, compliance and enforcement remain uneven in some jurisdictions. The Guinea meeting is intended to promote a more coordinated, transparent and sustainable enforcement framework.
Participants are expected to examine practical strategies to improve compliance rates, streamline procedures and strengthen institutional collaboration between national authorities and the regional court. The programme will include a dedicated review of the status of enforcement of the Court’s decisions in Guinea, alongside presentations on the Court’s enforcement mechanisms and the domestic legal environment.
Civil society organisations are also scheduled to engage in a bilateral dialogue with the Court, aimed at fostering accountability and inclusive participation in the enforcement process.
Beyond the technical sessions, the delegation will undertake courtesy visits to key government officials, including the Minister in charge of ECOWAS Affairs, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Finance, the President of the Supreme Court and the Speaker of Parliament. Meetings are also planned with the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission and the President of the Bar Association.
The delegation will be led by the President of the Court, Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, and will include Vice-President Sengu Mohamed Koroma and Honourable Justice Gberi-Bè Ouattara, alongside directors and other senior officials.
Similar bilateral engagements have previously been held in the Republic of Sierra Leone and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, reflecting the Court’s broader strategy to institutionalise cooperation and reinforce the authority of its judgments across West Africa.
As ECOWAS marks five decades of regional integration, the Guinea meeting underscores a renewed commitment to ensuring that the decisions of its judicial arm are not merely declaratory but effectively implemented, thereby strengthening the rule of law and public confidence in regional justice mechanisms.
