By Favour Ulebor, Abuja
The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has sworn in five new judges of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, with calls for judicial independence, impartiality and stronger enforcement of the Court’s decisions.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal and Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government administered the oath to the judges on Tuesday at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja.
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 for a non-renewable four-year term by the ECOWAS Authority at its 69th Ordinary Session held in Lungi, Sierra Leone, on July 19, 2026.
Speaking at the ceremony, Faye charged the judges to remain impartial and resist pressure in the discharge of their judicial responsibilities.
He said the oath they took was a solemn commitment to serve the cause of law with loyalty, honour, impartiality and conscience.
Faye urged the judges to examine cases according to their conscience and perform their duties without giving in to pressure, regardless of its source.
He said the new judges were assuming office at a time when West Africa was facing serious political, economic, security and environmental challenges.
According to him, the challenges require a strong commitment to the rule of law.
Faye described the Community Court of Justice as a key institution for protecting rights and ensuring respect for ECOWAS legal instruments.
He urged the judges to strengthen the Court and make community justice more effective and accessible to citizens.
He said, “The oath you have just taken must guide your every action.”
Also speaking, President of the ECOWAS Judicial Council, Justice Komba Kamanda, called for stronger implementation of decisions of the Community Court.
Kamanda said the regional judicial system could only be effective when Member States and ECOWAS institutions respected and enforced the Court’s decisions.
He also called for stronger cooperation between the Community Court and national courts.
Kamanda said the different judicial traditions within the region should not be seen as a problem.
He urged the new judges to uphold judicial independence, impartiality and integrity throughout their tenure.
He said the protection of fundamental rights must remain at the centre of community justice.
Kamanda also reminded the judges that they had inherited the work of their predecessors and must strengthen the Court for future generations.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Birame Diop, said the swearing-in was more than a formal ceremony.
Diop said the oath showed the judges’ commitment to put aside personal interests and external influence in the service of community law.
He said the Court had become one of the most accessible ECOWAS institutions because individuals could approach it when they believed their rights had been violated.
Diop disclosed that ECOWAS was considering the establishment of an Appellate Chamber for the Court.
He said a committee made up of representatives of ECOWAS institutions had been set up to examine the proposal.
The five judges were appointed by the ECOWAS Authority at its 69th Ordinary Session in Lungi, Sierra Leone, on July 19, 2026.
They replaced 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 ended.
The appointments were made under the December 2025 Supplementary Act on the Community Court of Justice.
The Act provides that judges must be persons of high moral character with the qualifications required for appointment to the Supreme Court or a similar court.
They must also have at least 20 years of professional experience.
Before assuming office, each judge is required to take an oath of office before the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority.
The five judges are expected to elect a president and vice-president from among themselves for a two-year term.
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