The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has sworn in five new judges of its Community Court of Justice, with Senegalese President and Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, urging them to uphold judicial independence, impartiality and integrity.
Faye administered the oath of office to the judges on Tuesday at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja, charging them to resist pressure and discharge their responsibilities in accordance with the law and their conscience.
The new judges are Désiré Henri Aihou of Benin, Justice Awa Bah of The Gambia, Charlyne M. Brumskine of Liberia, Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu of Nigeria and Dr Yaouza Ouro-Sama of Togo.
They were appointed by the ECOWAS Authority at its 69th Ordinary Session held in Lungi, Sierra Leone, on July 19, 2026, for a non-renewable four-year term.
Faye said the judges were assuming office at a critical period when the West African region was confronted by serious political, economic, security and environmental challenges, making adherence to the rule of law more important.
He described the Community Court of Justice as a key institution for protecting fundamental rights and ensuring compliance with ECOWAS legal instruments.
“The oath you have just taken must guide your every action,” Faye told the judges, urging them to examine cases independently and without yielding to pressure from any quarter.
He also charged them to strengthen the Court and make regional justice more effective and accessible to citizens across member states.
President of the ECOWAS Judicial Council, Justice Komba Kamanda, called for stronger implementation of decisions handed down by the Community Court, warning that the regional judicial system could only function effectively if member states and ECOWAS institutions respected and enforced its judgments.
Kamanda also advocated closer cooperation between the Community Court and national courts, saying differences in judicial traditions across West Africa should not be regarded as an obstacle to regional justice.
He urged the new judges to maintain independence, impartiality and integrity throughout their tenure, stressing that the protection of fundamental rights must remain at the heart of community justice.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Birame Diop, described the swearing-in as more than a ceremonial exercise, saying it represented the judges’ commitment to put aside personal interests and external influence in the administration of community law.
Diop noted that the Community Court had become one of the most accessible ECOWAS institutions because individuals could approach it when they believed their rights had been violated.
He further disclosed that ECOWAS was considering the establishment of an Appellate Chamber for the Court, adding that a committee comprising representatives of ECOWAS institutions had been constituted to examine the proposal.
The five judges succeeded Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves of Cape Verde, Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma of Sierra Leone, Justice Dupe Atoki of Nigeria, Justice Gberi-Bè Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire and Justice Edward Amoako Asante of Ghana, whose four-year tenure had expired.
Their appointments were made under the December 2025 Supplementary Act on the Community Court of Justice, which requires judges to be persons of high moral character with qualifications suitable for appointment to a Supreme Court or equivalent court and at least 20 years of professional experience.
The new judges are expected to elect a president and vice-president from among themselves for two-year terms, while each was required to take an oath of office before assuming judicial duties.
