The ECOWAS Court of Justice will be holding two major events in Lagos, Nigeria this May: an awareness campaign from May 5 to 7, followed by offsite court hearings from May 8 to 16, 2025.
Held annually, these initiatives aim to bring the Court closer to citizens across the West African bloc while strengthening collaboration with national judicial systems. They also serve to increase public understanding of the Court’s mandate, jurisdiction, and procedures.
The awareness sessions will take place at Eko Hotel and Suites on Victoria Island, with a focus on topics such as women’s and children’s rights, how to bring cases before the Court, the workings of the newly implemented Electronic Case Management System (ECMS), and the relationship between the ECOWAS Court and national judicial institutions.
Offsite hearings will be held at the High Court of Lagos, Osborne Annex in Ikoyi. During this period, the Court will hear 35 cases and deliver 15 rulings from its various panels.
All five current judges will be in attendance: President Hon. Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, Vice-President Sengu Mohamed Koroma, and Justices Dupe Atoki, Gberi-bè Ouattara, and Edward Amoako Asante.
This is not the first time the Court has held offsite sessions in the region. Past host countries include Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Liberia, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Benin, as well as Nigerian states such as Oyo and Kwara.