The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has sworn in five new judges for a four-year, non-renewable tenure, with the ECOWAS Chairman, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, urging them to uphold justice without fear or external pressure.
The judges, who represent five member states, took their oaths of office on Tuesday at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja.
They 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.
Their appointment was approved at the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held in Lungi, Sierra Leone, on 19 July 2026.
The appointments were made under the December 2025 Supplementary Act relating to the Community Court of Justice.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony, Faye said the judges had assumed office at a critical period for West Africa, with the region facing political, economic, security and environmental challenges.
He charged them to remain impartial, uphold their oath and protect the rights of citizens who seek justice through the regional court.
“I believe that their commitment is to serve the community in a royal, honourable and impartial way, but also in all conscience,” he said.
Faye said the court had an important responsibility in protecting citizens’ rights and strengthening public confidence in ECOWAS institutions.
“By making decisions, it protects the rights, reminds everyone’s obligations and strengthens confidence in our institutions,” the ECOWAS chairman said.
He urged the judges to administer justice fairly and resist pressure in the discharge of their duties.
“The court’s reputation is built on the quality of its decisions and on the confidence that it instils,” he said.
The Community Court of Justice is the judicial organ of ECOWAS and is mandated to ensure observance of the law and principles of equity in the interpretation and application of the community’s legal instruments. It is made up of five independent judges appointed for four-year terms.
ECOWAS Commission President, General Birame Diop, said the swearing-in represented more than a formal ceremony, describing it as a commitment by the new judges to the citizens of the regional bloc and to a common legal order.
“The oath marks the moment when the individual sets aside their personal interests and all external influences to serve only community law,” he said.
Diop noted that individuals can approach the Community Court to seek redress for violations of their rights, making the court one of the most accessible institutions of ECOWAS.
“By opening its doors to individuals, the Community has given concrete meaning to the idea of an ECOWAS of the peoples, and no longer just of States,” Diop said.
He said the court’s human rights jurisprudence had gained recognition beyond West Africa and urged member states to cooperate more closely with the court to ensure its decisions were implemented.
Diop also disclosed that discussions were underway on the possible establishment of an appellate chamber for the court. A committee comprising representatives of ECOWAS institutions has been constituted to examine the proposal.
The new judges replace 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 terms have ended.
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