Five new judges take their seats at West Africa's court
Sworn in before Senegal's president, the judges from Benin, The Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo will each serve a single four-year term.
Abuja — Five new judges have been sworn in at the ECOWAS Court of Justice, the court of the Economic Community of West African States.
The ceremony took place in Abuja on 6 October and was presided over by Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who chairs the bloc's Authority of Heads of State and Government.
The five
- Justice Désiré Henri Aihou of Benin
- Justice Awa Bah of The Gambia
- Justice Charlyne M. Brumskine of Liberia
- Justice Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu of Nigeria
- Justice Yaouza Ouro-Sama of Togo
Each will serve a four-year term that cannot be renewed.
What was said
President Faye urged the new judges to be guided by their oath, reminded them that the credibility of the regional justice system rests with them, and said the court's reputation depends on the quality of its decisions and the trust it inspires. He called for the court to keep modernising and to be effective, accessible and centred on people.
The chairman of the bloc's Judicial Council, Justice Mouhamadou Mansour Mbaye, congratulated the judges and stressed independence, impartiality and integrity. Judicial independence, he said, is not a privilege but a guarantee owed to those who come before the court.
The president of the ECOWAS Commission, General Birame Diop, paid tribute to the outgoing judges, reaffirmed the Commission's support for the court and called for closer cooperation among ECOWAS institutions, member states and national courts.
The speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, and Senegal's Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs, Cheikh Niang, also attended.
Source: ECOWAS Commission, 9 October 2026.
