Abuja: The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, is set to engage in a bilateral meeting with Nigeria's Competent National Authority (CNA) and other stakeholders to address the enforcement status of its judgments in Nigeria.
According to Ghana News Agency, this meeting, scheduled from February 16 to 18, 2026, at the Court's headquarters in Abuja, forms a key part of the activities celebrating the 50th Anniversary of ECOWAS. The gathering aims to bolster cooperation between the Court and Nigerian national authorities by establishing a framework for collaboration, sharing best practices, and tackling challenges that hinder the effective enforcement of the Court's judgments.
The meeting will feature presentations, discussions, and interactive sessions designed to facilitate comprehensive dialogue between the Court and the CNA with the goal of improving compliance with ECOWAS Court judgments. The discussions will focus on identifying and addressing challenges affecting enforcement, developing actionable strategies to enhance enforcement rates, fostering a shared understanding of existing constraints, and promoting sustainable cooperation among national authorities and the Court.
Expected outcomes of the engagement include the development of uniform enforcement procedures across jurisdictions, capacity building for effective enforcement, and the establishment of a collaborative network between CNAs and the Court. The program will also include a special forum on the status of enforcement of the Court's judgments, an overview of the Court's enforcement mechanism, insights into the enforcement landscape from the government's perspective, a bilateral meeting with civil society organizations, and deliberations on future engagements.
The three-day program will commence with courtesy visits to top government officials, including the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, and the Chief Justice of Nigeria. Additionally, the delegation will meet with the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria and the President of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Led by Court President Ricardo Cl¡udio Monteiro Gon§alves, the delegation includes Vice President Sengu Mohamed Koroma, Members of the Court, and several directors and staff members. This bilateral engagement series initially covers three ECOWAS Member States, starting with a recent meeting in Sierra Leone, followed by the current engagement in Nigeria, and a subsequent meeting planned for Guinea.