Five new judges have been sworn into office at the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye urging them to protect the independence and credibility of the regional judiciary.
The judges took their oath of office on Tuesday in Abuja for a four-year, non-renewable tenure at a ceremony presided over by Faye, who is Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.
The new judges are Justice Désiré Henri Aihou of Benin, Justice Awa Bah of The Gambia, Justice Charlyne M. Brumskine of Liberia, Justice Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu of Nigeria and Justice Yaouza Ouro-Sama of Togo.
Addressing the judges, Faye urged them to remain guided by their oath of office and uphold independence, impartiality and integrity in their decisions.
He said the reputation of the Court depended on “the quality of its decisions and the trust it inspires”.
The Senegalese president said the new judges had assumed office at a critical period for West Africa, amid political, economic, security and environmental challenges requiring stronger commitment to the rule of law.
He urged them to help modernise the Court and make regional justice more effective, accessible and people-centred.
Faye also stressed the Court’s responsibility to enforce ECOWAS treaties and other legal instruments while protecting the rights of citizens across the region.
The Chairman of the ECOWAS Judicial Council and first President of the Supreme Court of Senegal, Justice Mouhamadou Mansour Mbaye, said the new judges had assumed a significant responsibility to serve the law with “independence, impartiality, integrity and courage”.
“The independence of the judge is not a privilege for the judge but a fundamental guarantee owed to the litigant,” Mbaye said.
He urged the judges to ensure that “your independence must be constant, your impartiality beyond question, and your integrity beyond reproach”.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, General Birame Diop, also urged the judges to put aside personal interests and remain committed to the people of the Community.
“Beyond the formalities, it is a solemn commitment to perform one’s duties with integrity, impartiality and conscientiousness,” Diop said.
He added that the commitment was made “not only to the Chair of Authority of States and government, but also to every citizen of the Community”.
Diop pledged the Commission’s support for the Court and called for closer cooperation among ECOWAS institutions, member states and national courts.
The five judges replace members of the Court whose tenure has expired.
The ceremony was attended by officials from ECOWAS member states and institutions, judicial authorities, diplomats, legal practitioners and other guests.
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