The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has unveiled strategic measures to improve the implementation of its rulings by member states. Speaking at the end of a two-day inaugural meeting in Lagos, the Court’s President, Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, highlighted that only 22% of its judgments have been fully enforced so far, with just 10 out of 15 member states having established national enforcement authorities.
Justice Gonçalves emphasised that the authority of the Court depends on member states’ commitment to the principle of pacta sunt servanda — that agreements must be kept. Participants agreed on several actionable steps, including: establishing national liaison offices; creating enforcement trackers; training judicial officers; harmonising national enforcement procedures; and setting up in-person coordination between the Court and domestic institutions.
Mr Nnanna Ibom, representing Nigeria’s Attorney General at the event, stressed that without enforcement, the rule of law becomes “a hollow promise.” Delegates also urged fast-tracking the domestication of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty into national legal frameworks, particularly in dualist systems where international law lacks automatic effect. The meeting concluded with a pledge for ongoing collaboration to ensure the Court’s decisions deliver real justice across West Africa.
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