ECOWAS Court Turns to Media as Enforcement Gap Threatens Impact of Regional Justice

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice is seeking to strengthen the role of journalists in holding member states accountable for implementing its judgments, as concerns persist over the enforcement of decisions issued by the regional judicial institution.

President of the Court, Hon. Justice Ricardo Claudio Monteiro Gonçalves, made the call at the opening of a three-day training workshop for journalists from ECOWAS Member States, urging participants to use their media platforms to draw attention to governments’ obligations under regional treaties.

He said the Court’s existing enforcement mechanism places responsibility for executing its judgments on member states, but described the level of compliance as below expectation.

“Let me also urge you to use your media platforms to engage member states on the need to faithfully implement the decisions of the Court in accordance with their treaty obligations,” Gonçalves said.

His remarks placed the spotlight on a central challenge facing regional justice: ensuring that judicial decisions translate into practical outcomes for individuals and communities.

The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice serves as a regional judicial institution within the Economic Community of West African States, with jurisdiction that includes human rights cases involving member states.

Its judgments can address allegations of human rights violations and provide remedies to applicants. However, enforcement depends on mechanisms involving national authorities rather than the Court independently executing its own decisions.

Under Article 24 of the Court’s Supplementary Protocol, judgments are enforced through a writ of execution submitted by the Chief Registrar to the relevant member state, where execution proceeds according to domestic civil procedure rules.

The Court has also explained in its jurisprudence that member states have obligations to comply with its judgments, while its own authority to directly enforce those decisions is limited.

This arrangement makes cooperation between the regional institution and national authorities an important part of the enforcement process.

Differences in domestic procedures, institutional capacity and the implementation of regional legal instruments can affect how judgments are carried out.

The Court has identified enforcement as an area requiring stronger coordination with national institutions. In 2026, it held bilateral engagements with national authorities in countries including Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria to discuss compliance, institutional cooperation and practical enforcement challenges.

These engagements form part of broader efforts to improve the implementation of decisions across the region.

Gonçalves said limited public understanding of the Court’s mandate, procedures, jurisdiction and judgments was partly linked to gaps in media coverage.

He stressed that journalists need a sound understanding of the institution’s composition, structure and legal responsibilities to communicate its work accurately.

The president said the workshop was designed to improve judicial reporting and establish a network of journalists across the ECOWAS region who would report regularly on the Court’s activities.

“This training is, therefore, very important for the Community Court of Justice,” he said.

He expressed confidence that contributions from the Court’s Registry and Research Departments, alongside technical experts in journalism and judicial reporting, would help achieve the initiative’s objectives.

The workshop is expected to strengthen participants’ ability to explain court proceedings, interpret judgments and communicate the implications of regional judicial decisions to the public.

The media training comes amid continuing institutional efforts to improve compliance with ECOWAS Court judgments through closer engagement with national enforcement authorities.

In February 2026, the Court convened a meeting with Nigerian authorities on the status of enforcement of its decisions. Similar engagements in Sierra Leone and Guinea focused on cooperation, identifying implementation challenges and strengthening coordination between the Court and national institutions.

A further regional meeting of Competent National Authorities was scheduled in Cotonou, Benin, in June 2026, as part of efforts to develop a collaborative framework for enforcement.

The initiatives reflect the importance of national institutions in carrying out regional judgments and the need for more consistent procedures across jurisdictions.

Against this background, the Court’s engagement with journalists introduces a public communication dimension to its compliance efforts, encouraging media professionals to explain the obligations arising from judgments and report on implementation.

The training brought together journalists drawn primarily from national broadcast media organisations across 12 ECOWAS Member States.

The participating countries are Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, The Gambia, Togo and Nigeria.

The initiative forms part of the Court’s Annual Cascade Workplan and is aligned with its Strategic Plan 2026–2030.

In particular, it supports Strategic Goal 4, which focuses on transparency, stakeholder engagement and strategic accountability, as well as Strategic Objective 4.2, which seeks to strengthen platforms for regular engagement with stakeholders.

Through the training, the Court aims to expand public awareness of its work and encourage sustained reporting on its judgments and activities.

For the participating journalists, the task extends beyond covering courtroom proceedings to explaining what decisions mean, which institutions are responsible for implementation and what progress is being made in giving effect to the Court’s rulings.