By Innocent Anaba

The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, has commenced a four-day workshop on the operationalisation of its Strategic Plan 2026–2030, aimed at strengthening the Court’s institutional effectiveness and enhancing the delivery of justice across the West African sub-region.

The workshop, which began in Niger State, Nigeria, brings together the Court’s management, directors, heads of divisions and units, selected staff members, representatives of the ECOWAS Commission’s Strategic Planning Division, and technical experts.

Declaring the workshop open, President of the Court, Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, described the exercise as the beginning of a new phase in the Court’s institutional development.

According to him, while the launch of the Strategic Plan represented a significant milestone, its real value would be measured by its successful implementation and impact on the Court’s operations and service delivery.

“We need a new institutional mindset: from routine to performance, from processes to results, from silos to collaboration, and from reaction to strategy. This cultural transformation will be critical to the success of the Strategic Plan,” he said.

Justice Gonçalves urged staff members to embrace a culture of accountability, collaboration and performance, stressing that the strategic roadmap provides a clear direction for strengthening judicial efficiency, expanding access to justice, enhancing transparency, modernising institutional systems and reinforcing public confidence in the Court.

He also noted that the Strategic Plan aligns with the ECOWAS Vision 2050, which seeks to build a fully integrated, peaceful and prosperous West Africa founded on good governance, the rule of law and sustainable development.

In his welcome remarks, the Chief Registrar of the Court and Chairman of the Strategic Plan Technical Committee, Dr. Yaouza Ouro-Sama, said the workshop marked a major step towards improving the Court’s institutional effectiveness.

He stressed that successful implementation of the plan would require collective ownership, clearly defined responsibilities, measurable performance indicators and effective monitoring mechanisms across all departments.

Presenting the objectives of the workshop, acting Principal Officer, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mrs. Margaret Azinkpali, explained that the programme was designed to translate the Strategic Plan into concrete actions and implementation frameworks.
She said the workshop would establish accountability structures, monitoring tools, implementation mechanisms and performance management systems required for effective execution of the five-year plan.

According to her, expected outcomes include the validation of the Strategic Execution Roadmap, development of an institutional Key Performance Indicator, KPI, Register, confirmation of departmental responsibilities and enhanced staff capacity in monitoring, evaluation and reporting.

Azinkpali described the Strategic Plan as a practical framework that would guide the Court’s operations, resource allocation and performance measurement over the next five years.

Also speaking, Head of Strategic Planning, Programming and Coordination at the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Mamadu Baldé, highlighted the strong alignment between the Court’s Strategic Plan and the broader ECOWAS Vision 2050.

He noted that the Court’s objectives support the vision’s governance and rule of law pillar, particularly in promoting judicial effectiveness, accountability, legal harmonisation and human rights protection across the region.

Participants at the workshop are expected to examine institutional reforms aimed at integrating the Strategic Plan into the Court’s day-to-day operations, including governance structures, communication systems, accountability mechanisms, performance management and budget planning.

The workshop, scheduled to hold from June 8 to 11, 2026, is expected to produce a validated Strategic Execution Roadmap, a comprehensive accountability framework, an institutional KPI Register and strengthened monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

The Court said the initiative underscores its commitment to becoming a more efficient, transparent and impactful regional judicial institution while advancing human rights, the rule of law and regional integration within the ECOWAS Community.