ECOWAS Court: We Took 64 Decisions in 2023

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The ECOWAS Court of Justice has recorded yet another milestone in the number of decisions delivered in 2023.

Statistics from the court’s Registry Department indicated that 64 decisions comprising 59 judgments and five rulings were delivered in 2023.
This was a remarkable progress from the 41 judgments rendered in 2022 and 2021, consecutively.

This, according to the court, is the highest number of judgments delivered in any year since the court’s inception in 2001.

In his New Year message, the President of the court, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, said the remarkable feat was an attestation to the diligence of the college of judges supported by “staff’s commitment, collaboration and focus.”

“The other indices are also encouraging as we succeeded in reducing the number of pending cases to 165 at the end of 2023 compared to 180 at the end of 2022,” he added.

Justice Asante also enjoined staff to brace up for an anticipated increase in a number of human rights cases that may be filed before the court following unrest in the sub-region, including attempted coups in member-states.

He expressed optimism that the court will exceptionally deliver on its mandate in 2024, considering the recent additional recruitments and promotions to boost the productivity and performance of the court.

From its inception in 2001, the court has delivered 402 judgments on a total of 678 cases filed within the same period.

The statistics also indicated that since inception, the court has held 1,440 court proceedings, and rendered 29 decisions on 41 applications for revision of judgment filed, while 168 cases including those filed at the beginning of 2024 are presently pending before it.

The court, which resumed activities on January 8, 2024, after its end-of-year break, will commence court sessions on January 29, 2024.