The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, will begin a week-long outreach programme and legal clinic in Liberia from 10–16 November 2025, as part of efforts to deepen public awareness of its mandate and strengthen citizen access to regional justice mechanisms.
A high-level delegation led by the Court’s President, Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, will host a series of sensitisation activities aimed at improving understanding of the Court’s role, jurisdiction, and impact on communities across the sub-region.
The initiative is one of the flagship events marking ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary.
According to the Court, the outreach is designed to boost visibility and encourage citizens to take ownership of the institution created to safeguard their rights. Participants will be introduced to the Court’s jurisprudence and how its decisions shape governance, human rights, and integration in West Africa.
The programme features presentations, discussions, interviews, and interactive engagements with government officials, legal practitioners, academics, civil society groups, human rights advocates, students, the diplomatic community, and the media.
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The legal clinic will offer residents direct access to information on filing cases, understanding procedures, and seeking legal guidance.
Activities will open with a courtesy visit to Liberia’s President, Joseph Nyuma Boakai, and other senior officials. A town hall meeting with stakeholders is scheduled for 12 November at the Ministerial Complex, followed by a dedicated forum for lawyers and law students on 13 November at the University of Liberia Auditorium.
A judicial dialogue between Liberian judges and judges of the ECOWAS Court will also form part of the programme. The public legal clinic will run from 14–15 November at the Ministerial Complex, alongside a press conference and media appearances.
The outreach forms part of an annual initiative undertaken across the region, with previous editions held in Benin, Ghana, Togo, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and several Nigerian cities. After the Liberia event, another delegation will proceed to Lomé, Togo, from 16–22 November for a similar programme.
Established under Articles 6 and 15 of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty, the Community Court of Justice—whose first judges were appointed in 2001—carries four mandates: interpretation of Community law, administrative review for ECOWAS officials, arbitration, and the protection of human rights in the region.
