ECOWAS Court moves to strengthen enforcement of judgments across Member States

By Innocent Anaba

The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, will convene the second meeting of Competent National Authorities, CNAs, as part of efforts to strengthen the enforcement of the Court’s judgments across member states.

The three-day meeting, themed “From Commitment to Framework: Operationalising a Collaborative Architecture for the Enforcement of ECOWAS Court Judgments,” will bring together designated Competent National Authorities from ECOWAS member states, representatives of the ECOWAS Commission, the ECOWAS Parliament, legal experts, and senior officials of the court.

It is slated for Cotonou, Republic of Benin, from June 17 to 19, 2026.

According to the court, the meeting is a follow-up to the inaugural gathering of Competent National Authorities held in Lagos in June 2025, where participants adopted recommendations aimed at improving compliance with the Court’s decisions, enhancing institutional capacity, promoting procedural harmonisation, and strengthening collaboration among national enforcement bodies.

A key feature of the meeting will be the presentation, consideration, and adoption of a proposed Collaborative Framework for the Enforcement of ECOWAS Court Judgments. The framework, developed through consultations with member states and designated national authorities, is expected to provide a structured mechanism for coordinated enforcement actions across the region.

The framework is designed to clearly define institutional responsibilities, establish communication channels, strengthen accountability measures, and improve monitoring processes related to the implementation of Court judgments.

Participants will also review progress made since the first meeting, assess annual enforcement reports submitted by member states, examine challenges affecting compliance particularly in human rights cases and identify practical measures to improve enforcement outcomes.

The Court said the meeting would further deepen cooperation among the ECOWAS Court, Competent National Authorities, the ECOWAS Commission, and the ECOWAS Parliament, with the aim of establishing a stronger and more coordinated compliance mechanism.

Discussions are also expected to focus on formalising a structured platform for Competent National Authorities to facilitate peer learning, information sharing, cooperation, and mutual accountability among national enforcement agencies.

Member states that have yet to designate their Competent National Authorities will be encouraged to do so to ensure the full operationalisation of the regional enforcement framework.

At the end of the meeting, participants are expected to adopt the collaborative framework, agree on implementation timelines and modalities, refine annual reporting templates, strengthen multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms, and issue a communiqué outlining collective commitments and priority actions for improving compliance with the court’s judgments.

The ECOWAS court noted that the meeting represents a significant step towards translating regional commitments into concrete action and building a durable enforcement architecture capable of enhancing compliance with judicial decisions for the benefit of citizens across the ECOWAS community.

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