The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States has launched a four-day high-level workshop aimed at translating its newly adopted Strategic Plan (2026–2030) into actionable reforms designed to reshape its operations, strengthen judicial efficiency, and deepen access to justice across the region.
The workshop, holding at Zuma Rock Resort in Niger State, brings together senior management of the Court, including directors, heads of divisions and units, selected staff members, and technical representatives from the ECOWAS Commission Strategic Planning Division. Experts and planners are expected to design implementation tools, monitoring systems, and accountability frameworks that will guide the execution of the Court’s long-term roadmap.
Declaring the session open, President of the Court, Hon. Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, described the initiative as a turning point in the institution’s reform journey, stressing that the success of the plan depends not on its adoption but on disciplined implementation.
He called for a shift in institutional culture, urging staff to move “from routine to performance, from processes to results, and from silos to collaboration,” adding that the Court must embrace a results-driven mindset if it is to meet its mandate under the regional justice system.
According to him, the strategic framework is designed to enhance transparency, modernise internal systems, expand citizens’ access to justice, and rebuild public confidence in the Court as a key pillar of regional governance and the rule of law.
The Chief Registrar of the Court, Dr. Yaouza Ouro-Sama, who also chairs the Strategic Plan Technical Committee, described the workshop as a critical step toward strengthening institutional performance, noting that successful implementation will depend on shared responsibility, clear timelines, and measurable targets across departments.
Also speaking, Mrs. Margaret Azinkpali, Acting Principal Officer for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, said the workshop is intended to convert strategic ambitions into practical execution tools. She explained that outcomes will include a validated implementation roadmap, a performance tracking system, and a comprehensive Key Performance Indicator (KPI) register to guide institutional accountability.
She added that the plan is anchored on five core pillars: governance and leadership, performance culture, operational alignment, project and portfolio management, and continuous performance review and learning.
A presentation by Mr. Mamadu Mudjataba Baldé, Head of Strategic Planning, Programming and Coordination at the ECOWAS Commission, situated the Court’s reform agenda within the broader regional vision, noting strong alignment with ECOWAS Vision 2050, which seeks to build a peaceful, integrated, and economically resilient West Africa anchored on strong institutions and respect for human rights.
He explained that the Court’s strategy directly supports governance and rule of law objectives under the regional framework, particularly in strengthening judicial effectiveness, accountability mechanisms, and legal harmonisation across member states.
Participants at the workshop are expected to examine institutional reforms required to embed the strategy into daily operations, including improved coordination, clearer role definitions, stronger communication systems, and integration of planning and budgeting with performance management.
The meeting, scheduled from June 8 to 11, 2026, is expected to conclude with the validation of an execution roadmap, an institutional accountability framework, and a strengthened monitoring and evaluation system to guide implementation over the next five years.
The initiative underscores the Court’s broader ambition to evolve into a more efficient, transparent, and impact-driven regional judicial institution within the framework of the ECOWAS integration agenda.
The venue of the workshop, Zuma Rock Resort, provided the setting for what officials describe as a critical step toward aligning strategy with measurable institutional performance and regional justice delivery.
