The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has begun a five-day sensitisation mission in Banjul, The Gambia, as part of efforts to raise public awareness of its mandate, expand access to justice and strengthen engagement with citizens across West Africa. The programme runs from April 21 to 25, 2026, and is part of the court’s recurring outreach initiative aimed at educating stakeholders on its jurisdiction, procedures and human rights role within the ECOWAS community.
The mission opened with high-level courtesy engagements, including a visit to Gambian President Adama Barrow and meetings with senior government officials, signalling the formal start of the court’s activities in the country. Gambian media also reported a visit by the ECOWAS Court delegation to the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Justice, where discussions focused on strengthening cooperation on justice and rule-of-law issues.
At the centre of the week’s activities is a town hall meeting scheduled for April 22 at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre. Organisers say the forum is designed to bring together a broad range of stakeholders for interactive discussions on the court’s operations, jurisprudence and impact on citizens in the sub-region. The court has presented the outreach as a chance for ordinary citizens, civil society groups and institutions to better understand how the regional judicial body functions and how they can access it.
Other events on the programme include a dedicated forum for lawyers and law students on April 23, focused on litigation practice, case management and procedures before the court, as well as a judicial dialogue on April 24 involving judges from The Gambia and the ECOWAS Court. Those sessions are intended to promote professional exchange, improve understanding of regional jurisprudence and strengthen judicial cooperation across member states. Media interviews and broadcast appearances are also planned throughout the mission to widen public reach.
The court says the sensitisation drive is especially important because greater public knowledge of its mandate can encourage individuals and organisations to use its processes, particularly in human rights cases and disputes involving Community law. Under ECOWAS rules, the court serves as the bloc’s principal judicial organ and has developed a significant human-rights docket since its jurisdiction was broadened to allow individuals direct access in such matters.
The Banjul mission also fits into a broader regional effort to bring the court closer to the people it serves. The court notes that similar sensitisation programmes have previously been held in several member states, while The Gambia itself has become an increasingly important site for regional justice conversations, including ECOWAS-backed efforts to advance accountability for abuses committed during the Yahya Jammeh era. Against that backdrop, the current outreach is being seen as both a public education exercise and a reaffirmation of the court’s place in promoting justice, rule of law and regional integration across West Africa.
