Dakar, Senegal — 21 September 2026:
A judge of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Glenna Thompson, is attending the 2026 International Conference of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, representing the Hon. Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Komba Kamanda. As part of the delegation are Hon. Justice Manga Fana Deen-Tarawallie, Justice of the Supreme Court, and Hon. Justice Augustine Kailey Musa, Justice of the High Court of Sierra Leone.
The conference brings together senior judicial and legal personalities from across West Africa and beyond to examine the future of regional justice, human-rights protection, judicial innovation and regional integration.
The conference, scheduled for 21–25 September 2026, is being held under the theme: “ECOWAS Court of Justice at the Crossroads: Justice, Innovation, Human Rights Protection and the Future of Regional Integration in West Africa.”
The theme reflects an effort to examine the evolving role of the ECOWAS Court of Justice and how the regional judicial institution can respond to emerging legal, institutional, technological and human-rights challenges confronting the West African region.
The conference is addressing seven major thematic areas considered relevant to the future development of regional justice. A central area of discussion is human-rights jurisprudence, with participants examining the role of the ECOWAS Court in strengthening the protection of fundamental rights across the region.
Added to this is the issue of enforcement of judgments of the ECOWAS Court, including mechanisms for improving compliance with decisions of the regional judicial institution by Member States.
Participants are also examining the growing impact of artificial intelligence and data protection on courts, legal practice and judicial administration. The discussions are expected to consider how judicial institutions can harness technological developments while addressing emerging legal and ethical concerns.
The conference is further considering arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as mechanisms for resolving regional, commercial and other disputes outside conventional litigation.
Institutional development is also on the agenda, including discussions around a proposed appellate chamber for the ECOWAS Court and what such an institutional arrangement could mean for the regional justice system.
Other thematic areas include environmental justice, with attention to legal responses to environmental challenges, and the protection of refugees part of the ECOWAS legal
The issues under consideration—including human-rights jurisprudence, enforcement of regional judicial decisions, judicial technology, Alternative Dispute Resolution, environmental justice, refugee protection and cooperation between national courts and the ECOWAS Court—are relevant to the country’s justice sector.
Representing the Hon. Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Glenna Thompson notes that gathering provides an opportunity for judicial leaders and legal practitioners from Sierra Leone to engage with counterparts from other West African jurisdictions, exchange experiences and contribute to discussions on the future direction of regional judicial cooperation.
Such engagement she noted is particularly relevant at a time when courts across the region are responding to technological developments, evolving human-rights standards, cross-border disputes and emerging demands for more accessible and effective justice.
She further emphasised that the various issues discussed during the conference, including human-rights protection, enforcement of regional court judgments, artificial intelligence and data protection, Alternative Dispute Resolution, environmental justice and the protection of refugees and displaced persons, were topical issues pertinent to the work of the Sierra Leone Judiciary.
