The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) and the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) have joined forces to explore ways of strengthening institutional cooperation and improving the implementation of judicial decisions across Africa, with the three courts convening for their Third Tripartite Judicial Dialogue in Arusha, Tanzania, from November 9th to the 10th, 2026, under the theme ‘Strengthening Institutional Cooperation in Africa’.
The dialogue, which builds on the outcomes of the first and second Tripartite Judicial Dialogues held in 2024, brought together judges, registry officials and representatives of partner institutions to examine ways to improve cooperation and strengthen mechanisms to monitor compliance with their decisions, with the courts committing to regular consultative forums to discuss common challenges, strengthen cooperation and promote the continuous exchange of information and expertise.
A major focus of the discussions was the development of AJUDATA, a continental and trans-regional initiative designed to improve access to African international jurisprudence, legal resources and institutional information, with the meeting also expected to produce recommendations for strengthening institutional cooperation, improving the implementation and follow-up of judicial decisions, and providing strategic direction for the governance and long-term sustainability of AJUDATA. The African Court’s strategic plan for 2026–2028 highlights a critical enforcement gap, with only 2 per cent full compliance, 10 per cent partial compliance and an 88 per cent non-reporting rate from State Parties, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing the continent’s judicial institutions.
The ECOWAS Court’s own experience illustrates the depth of the problem, with only about 18 to 22 per cent of the Court’s enforceable judgments currently being implemented across Member States, prompting the Court to adopt far-reaching recommendations including the establishment of an appellate chamber, stronger judgment-compliance and enforcement mechanisms, and the creation of a dedicated compliance-monitoring unit within the ECOWAS Commission. As of June 2026, Nigeria leads the region with 54 unenforced judgments, followed by Togo with 36 and Guinea with 17, with the Court introducing Competent National Authorities (CNAs) to coordinate enforcement at the national level and expanding outreach through external court sessions in Lagos, Accra, Abidjan and Lomé.
The Third Tripartite Judicial Dialogue marks a continuation of collaboration among the three Courts through bilateral Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and commitments made during the previous Dialogues, with the 2024 second dialogue producing a communiqué that renewed the commitment of the three courts to strengthen their relationship and cooperation, outlining priorities such as reinforcing judicial independence, fostering the exchange of best practices, and ensuring implementation of decisions through stronger enforcement mechanisms. The 2026 dialogue is expected to identify areas for future technical cooperation and joint initiatives among the three courts, with the African Court’s strategic plan also calling for enhanced follow-up mechanisms, improved reporting and monitoring processes, increased engagement with relevant stakeholders, and expanded awareness and dissemination of the Court’s decisions.
The African Court’s President, Justice Modibo Sacko, has called on African Union Member States to deepen their commitment to justice by ratifying the Protocol establishing the Court, fully implementing its judgments in good faith, and accepting direct access for individuals and NGOs, noting that limited ratification and low public awareness continue to hinder broader access to the Court. The challenge now is to convert the commitments and recommendations emerging from the Arusha dialogue into concrete policy changes, enforcement mechanisms and institutional reforms that can translate judicial decisions into tangible outcomes for citizens across the continent.
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