Abuja — An Ad-hoc Committee comprising judicial representatives of five ECOWAS Member States has been set up to draft the basic Regulations and Rules of Procedure for the setting up of an Association of West African Judges.

This was a key resolution of participants that attended the 4th to 5th July 2011 meeting marking the 10th anniversary celebration of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, one of the specialized institutions of ECOWAS, held at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja. "The Association is to serve as a framework of dialogue, mutual judicial exchange and co-operation, which shall enable West African judges to come together and form a network, so as to share their experiences in the developing trends of law, regional policies, international law, and in the jurisprudence of our States," the resolution said. The Ad-hoc Committee, to be composed of representatives of judicial institutions of Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Nigeria, and under the chairmanship of the President of the Supreme Court of Benin, has four months to submit its report to the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice.

The meeting requested for technical, material and financial assistance to the ad-hoc committee, towards the efficient execution of its mandate. It also commended the commitment of ECOWAS institutions, notably the Community Court of Justice and the Inter-Governmental Action against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), towards facilitating inter-judicial exchanges, through active co-operation in policy formulation between the judges of States in the Community. The Community Court was set up in 2001 with the mandate to promote democratic values, good governance and respect for human rights in the ECOWAS region. The anniversary celebration is under the theme: "The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS: An Assessment of Ten Years of Service to Community Law, and Perspectives".