•ECOWAS Court of Justice
The President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, has called on civil society organisations to take a leading role in ensuring the enforcement of the court’s judgments, warning that justice without enforcement remains incomplete.
Justice Gonçalves made the call today, in Abuja, while addressing civil society organisations in Nigeria on the second day of the court’s engagement with non-state actors, reports The PUNCH.
He described Nigerian civil society as one of the most vibrant on the continent and said its strength made sustained dialogue on regional justice both necessary and timely.
According to him, enforcement of the court’s decisions goes beyond institutional responsibility and requires active civic engagement.
He said civil society organisations have a central role to play through monitoring compliance, producing independent reports, raising awareness among national authorities, promoting strategic litigation, and educating citizens on the importance of Community justice.
Justice Gonçalves said, “Civil society plays an absolutely central role in the enforcement of this court’s decisions.
“Enforcement is not merely an administrative matter; it is also a matter of civic monitoring, strategic and responsible advocacy, public awareness, and constructive, law-based engagement.
“Civil society organisations can: monitor the status of enforcement of judgments by producing credible and independent periodic reports;
“Raise awareness among national authorities of the need to comply with the Court’s decisions; Integrate enforcement of the Court’s judgments into their legislative and administrative reform agendas among others.
“In modern times, civil society serves as the bridge between judicial decisions and their practical realisation.”
Justice Gonçalves expressed confidence that Nigeria, as a founding member of ECOWAS, possesses the institutional capacity and civic strength to become a regional example in enforcing the Court’s decisions.
He urged closer collaboration between public institutions and civil society, noting that effective enforcement should be seen as a collective effort to strengthen the rule of law and deliver justice to ECOWAS citizens.
Speaking on behalf of the CSOs, the Executive Director of Digicivic Initiative, Mojirayo Ogunlana, said civil society organisations were committed to working with state and regional institutions to ensure that court judgments translate into tangible outcomes.
“Civil society is not here merely to criticise. We are partners in strengthening justice systems.
“We stand ready to collaborate with governments, regional bodies, and the judiciary to build frameworks that make enforcement achievable and sustainable,” she said.
Ogunlana stressed that the authority of a court rests not only on the quality of its judgments but on the willingness of states to comply with them, noting that enforcement was a legal and moral obligation arising from membership of a rules-based regional community.
“If the ECOWAS Court is to remain meaningful to ordinary citizens, its judgments must translate into real outcomes such as compensation paid, rights restored, and violations prevented from recurring,” she added.
Also speaking, the Acting Registrar, Appeals, Arbitration and Enforcement, Yusuf Danmadami described the engagement as productive, adding that several proposals emerged from the deliberations.
According to him, the court is working towards developing a draft comprehensive plan to advance enforcement across member states.
The enforcement of judgments of the ECOWAS Court remains a major challenge across West Africa, despite clear legal provisions making the Court’s decisions binding, final and immediately enforceable on all member states.
While the court continues to serve as an important avenue for citizens seeking redress for human rights violations and breaches of Community law, weak national enforcement mechanisms have limited the practical impact of many of its rulings.
