Get Guardian on GoogleThe Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has joined the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) and the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) to explore ways of strengthening institutional cooperation and improving the implementation of judicial decisions across Africa.
The two-day discussions started on November 9 and 10, 2026, and were held at the Third Tripartite Judicial Dialogue in Arusha, Tanzania, under the theme, “Strengthening Institutional Cooperation, Implementation of Decisions and the Future of AJUDATA in Africa.”
The dialogue is aimed at consolidating cooperation among the three regional judicial institutions, strengthening mechanisms for enforcing court decisions and advancing the development of the African Jurisprudence Database (AJUDATA).
The meeting builds on the outcomes of the Second Tripartite Judicial Dialogue, held in Arusha in September 2024, which identified several institutional challenges affecting the effectiveness of regional courts.
These include inadequate human, technical and financial resources, low levels of implementation of judicial decisions and gaps in institutional coordination.
The previous meeting also emphasised the need for sustained judicial cooperation to promote human rights protection, access to justice, the rule of law and regional integration across the continent.
At the dialogue, judges, registry officials and representatives of partner institutions reviewed progress made in implementing previous commitments, particularly those relating to the exchange of jurisprudence and judicial practices, monitoring of court decisions, and joint awareness, research and capacity-building initiatives.
Participants also identified practical measures to address existing challenges and strengthen collaboration among the institutions.
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.
The database is expected to provide an important resource for legal research, support the monitoring of judicial decisions and promote harmonisation of jurisprudence among African judicial institutions.
The dialogue also examines opportunities for cooperation in emerging areas of jurisprudence, particularly environmental rights and climate justice.
At the end of the meeting today, participants will 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 meeting is also expected to identify areas for future technical cooperation and joint initiatives among the three courts.
The Third Tripartite Judicial Dialogue is organised with the support of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and its partners.
The participation of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice underscores its commitment to strengthening partnerships with other African judicial institutions, promoting the exchange of jurisprudence and contributing to an accessible, coordinated and effective regional and continental justice system.
