The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has sworn in five new judges of its Community Court of Justice, with Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, urging them to strengthen public confidence in the regional judicial system.
The new judges 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.
Faye administered the oath of office to the judges at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said the judges were assuming office at a critical period when West Africa was facing political, economic, security and environmental challenges requiring a strong commitment to the rule of law and collective action.
According to him, the Community Court has a central responsibility to ensure fairness in the application of ECOWAS legal instruments, protect citizens’ rights and strengthen confidence in regional institutions.
“Through its decisions, it protects rights, serves as a reminder of everyone’s obligations, and strengthens trust in our institutions,” Faye said.
The ECOWAS chairman urged the judges to allow the oath they had taken to guide their conduct throughout their four-year tenure, particularly when determining cases before them.
He charged them to administer justice fairly, consider cases according to their conscience and exercise their responsibilities impartially without yielding to pressure from any quarter.
“That is why I urge you, throughout the duration of your mandate, to constantly keep in mind—especially at the moment of decision-making—the foundation of your oath,” he said.
Faye said the credibility of the Court would continue to depend on the quality of its decisions and the confidence those decisions inspire among citizens.
He urged the new judges to build on the Court’s achievements while supporting efforts to modernise its operations and make regional justice more effective, accessible and trusted by the public.
Earlier, ECOWAS Commission President, General Birame Diop, described the swearing-in as more than a ceremonial exercise, saying it represented a commitment by the new judges to citizens of the community and to a common regional legal order.
Diop said the oath required the judges to put aside personal interests and external influences and serve community law with honour, loyalty, impartiality and conscience.
“The oath marks the moment when the individual sets aside their personal interests and all external influences to serve only community law,” he said.
He added that the ceremony demonstrated the recognition by member states, at the highest level, of the authority of the Court and their commitment to respecting its independence.
The five judges were appointed for a four-year, non-renewable tenure by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its 69th Ordinary Session held in Lungi, Sierra Leone, on July 19, 2026.
Their appointments were made pursuant to the December 2025 Supplementary Act SA.1/12/25 relating to the Community Court of Justice.
Under Article 3 of the Act, the Court is to comprise five independent judges selected from nationals of member states who are persons of high moral character and possess qualifications required for appointment to the Supreme Court or an equivalent judicial office.
The new judges succeeded 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 had expired.
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