The President of the Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, Hon. Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves on 6 October 2026 welcomed H.E. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, President of the Republic of Senegal and Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on a working visit to the Court.
In his speech, President Bassirou Faye thanked the management, judges and staff of the Court for the warm welcome accorded him. The President described the Court as a core institution within the (institutional) framework of ECOWAS, responsible for interpreting and applying ECOWAS legal texts, adjudicating disputes, upholding the rule of law, protecting human rights and contributing to regional stability. He added that Member States and citizens of the Community on their part, rely on the Court’s contribution to peace and security, and enhanced citizens’ trust in public institutions.
President Faye urged the judges and staff of the Court to remain steadfast in their commitment and dedication to the institution while assuring them of his availability and support in the discharge of its mandate, in his capacity as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.
On his part, Justice Gonçalves described the visit as an expression of confidence in the Court and a reaffirmation of the centrality of the rule of law to regional integration.
“Regional integration is not built solely through free movement, trade or economic convergence. It is also built through the law; through legal certainty; through the protection of citizens’ rights; and through the confidence that the laws freely adopted by the Community will be respected and enforced by all,” the Court President said.
Justice Gonçalves used the occasion to call for stronger support for justice in the Community, and the effective enforcement of the Court’s judgments, stressing that respect for judicial decisions is essential to the credibility and strength of the Community legal order.
He reaffirmed the Court’s commitment to continue working closely with the Conference of Heads of State and Government, the ECOWAS Commission and other Community institutions in a spirit of dialogue, cooperation and shared responsibility.
Justice Gonçalves also conveyed the Court’s best wishes to H.E. President Bassirou Faye who in July 2026 assumed the leadership of the Community, at a challenging period marked by political, economic, social, institutional and security challenges across the region. He expressed hope that under President Faye’s leadership, ECOWAS would emerge stronger, more cohesive, more resilient and closer to the peoples it serves.
He assured the Chairman that the ECOWAS Court would continue to discharge its mandate with independence, integrity, impartiality and a deep sense of responsibility towards the peoples of the Community.
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