Review decision on reduction of ECOWAS Court Justices – President Akufo-Addo
The External Court session of the Court is being held in Ghana for the first time since its formation over twenty years ago.
The President, Nana Akufo-Addo has said he believes it is appropriate for stakeholders to reconsider the decision that reduced the number of judges that sit at the ECOWAS Court of Justice to five (5).
The Court is currently composed of five (5) independent Justices, the result of a 2018 decision that reduced its original composition of seven (7).
However, the move has been met with concerns relating to the increasing number of cases recorded by the Court.
In January 2020, Premium Times reported that the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice (CCJ) said it recorded the highest number of decisions in 2019 since its inception.
The Court’s president Justice Edward Amoako Asante, was also quoted to have said that despite the challenges confronting the Court such as the reduction in the number of judges from seven to five, the court was able to adjudicate its highest number of decisions in a single year since its inception.
President Akufo-Addo noted that aside from adjudicating on issues specified under the protocol that established the Court, Heads of State are also granted power under article 9 (7) of the Court's protocol to refer any dispute to the court, hence additional responsibilities for the Court.
“I believe that it would be appropriate to have a second look at the decision in order to review the merits of restoring the composition of the court to seven members,” he said, during the 11th External Court session of the community court happening at the Law Court Complex in Accra.
He further said the court has a strategic role to play in the integration process of ECOWAS, while at the same time calling on national governments to comply with judgments from the Court.
Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS-External Session
The External Court session of the Court is being held in Ghana for the first time since its formation over twenty years ago.
The session, which is important in the annual work program of the Court, is anchored on the provision of Article 26(2) of the 1991 Protocol on the Court.
It is aimed at bringing Justice to the average person at the grassroots of the Community.
The Programme also provides the opportunity for Judicial dialogue with the national Courts of host countries and exposes lawyers and community citizens in the country to the practice and procedure of a Regional International Court.
