The ECOWAS Court of Justice has received the instrument designating Ghana’s Attorney General and Minister for Justice as the competent national authority for the enforcement of the decisions of the court in Ghana.
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo announced the appointment on 21st October 2019, while opening the four-day international conference of the Court held in Accra, Ghana.
A statement by the regional court on Wednesday in Abuja said that the letter dated 11th June, 2020 and formally conveying the appointment stated that it was ‘pursuant to Article 24(4) of the Protocol A/P.1/7/91 relating to the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice (as amended by the Supplementary Protocol A/SP.1/01/05).
According to the statement, the Article requires Member States to ‘determine the competent national authority for the purpose of receipt and processing of execution,’ of such decisions and ‘notify the Court accordingly.”
With the designation, Ghana joined Burkina Faso, Guinea, Nigeria, Mali and Togo as the sixth ECOWAS Member State to appoint their national authority for the enforcement of the decisions of the Court.
The President of the Court, Justice Edward Amoako noted that the designation and formal letter represent important steps in the continuing effort to improve on the mechanism for the enforcement of the decisions of the Court in Member States.
He expressed the gratitude of the Court to the President of Ghana for this ‘latest demonstration of the country’s commitment to regional integration and the effective functioning of its institutions, which play important roles towards the realization of the objectives of the Community.
“By this action, the President has contributed significantly to strengthening the Court in the discharge of its mandate as well as the promotion of the rule of law and protection of human rights, which has become its defining mandate,” the President of the Court added.
GIK/APA