By Roslyn Gayaglo
Ghana will for the first time host the external court session of the Community Court of Justice, (CCJ) ECOWAS, since its introduction in March 2007 in Mali. Sixty pending cases have been listed for the session and scheduled to take place at the Law Court Complex in Accra over 11 days, from Monday, March 21, 2022. Judgments are scheduled for delivery in 25 of the cases listed for the external sitting in Accra, while the remaining 35 are for hearing.
ECOWAS Court’s annual work programme is being hosted by Ghana
The external court session which is a key element of the ECOWAS Court’s annual work programme is being hosted by Ghana this year, in response to several requests. The President of the Court, Justice Edward Amoako Asante said the essence of the programme is to bring justice to the common man at the Community’s grassroots, especially the indigent citizens who could otherwise not afford the cost and logistics of travelling to the seat of the Court in Abuja to access justice.
Furthermore, the session avails the Court the opportunity for judicial dialogue with national courts of Member States and exposes lawyers and Community citizens to the Practice and Procedure of a regional international court. It also enables the Court to engage with high political authorities of the host Member State and serves as a citizen, outreach opportunity for the Court on its competence, mandate as well as practice and procedure of the Court.
The session is expected to be opened on Monday, March 21, 2022 by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who is also the Chairman of ECOWAS.
