The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has elected Liberian Justice Charlyne Brumskine as its new President and Beninese Justice Désiré Henri Aihou as Vice-President, beginning a new leadership term for the regional judicial institution.
The two judges were elected on Tuesday, 13 October, by the court’s newly constituted College of Judges. Their emergence followed the swearing-in of five new judges on 6 October at the ECOWAS Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The new leadership succeeds the outgoing college led by Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves of Cape Verde, whose tenure has now ended.
Brumskine and Aihou are expected to oversee the court’s judicial and institutional affairs as it advances its Strategic Plan 2026–2030, known as Justice 2030. The plan focuses on improving access to justice, increasing judicial efficiency, strengthening institutional effectiveness and building public confidence in regional justice.
The newly constituted College of Judges comprises five members representing Liberia, Benin, The Gambia, Nigeria and Togo. Alongside Brumskine and Aihou, the members are Justice Awa Bah of The Gambia, Justice Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu of Nigeria and Justice Yaouza Ouro-Sama of Togo.
In her inaugural address, Brumskine expressed appreciation to her colleagues for electing her, describing the appointment as an opportunity to serve the court, the ECOWAS Community and the people of West Africa.
Her remarks set out a commitment to the responsibilities associated with leading a regional court whose work concerns legal disputes and justice within the ECOWAS framework. The court’s effectiveness depends on the application of its mandate and the confidence of those who seek remedies through its procedures.
The outgoing President, Justice Gonçalves, said the handover marked the conclusion of the outgoing judges’ tenure and the transfer of responsibilities to their successors. The transition formally places the new college in charge of the institution’s next phase of work.
The incoming leadership has pledged to uphold judicial independence, impartiality, integrity and accountability. These principles are central to public confidence in courts and the fair administration of justice.
The Justice 2030 plan provides the strategic framework for the court’s institutional priorities through 2030. Its stated objectives include making justice more accessible, improving the efficiency of judicial processes and strengthening the institution’s ability to carry out its responsibilities.
The election of Brumskine and Aihou therefore marks both a change in leadership and the beginning of a new period of work under the court’s existing strategic framework.
Deborah Adeyefa
