By Adah Abah Sunday Abuja
The ECOWAS Commission has organized a 2-day capacity-building workshop for ECOWAS Court judges, registry staff, and legal officers to enhance their knowledge on resolving conflicts between the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement and ECOWAS legal provisions.
According to Professor Muhammad Tawfiq Ladan, the workshop aims to prepare participants for proper understanding and interpretation of dispute resolution mechanisms under both AfCFTA and ECOWAS legal regimes.
“The second key objective of this capacity building is to promote consistency, predictability, and transparency in the resolution of disputes, to enhance investor confidence, market integration, and legal certainty in promoting intra and inter-African trade,” Professor Ladan explained.
He added that participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of economic integration and underlying principles of regional and continental dispute settlement mechanisms. They will also possess knowledge of legal frameworks governing dispute resolution under AfCFTA and ECOWAS Community Law.
Professor Ladan noted that the African Continental Free Trade Agreement represents a landmark multilateral treaty between 55 African member states, with 54 signatories and 48 ratifications. Fourteen ECOWAS member states have ratified the agreement, leaving Benin Republic as the only ECOWAS member state yet to ratify.
“I would like to underscore that AfCFTA recognizes regional economic communities like ECOWAS, preserving their rights, obligations, and laws,” Professor Ladan said. “In case of conflicts, Article 19 of the AfCFTA states that the agreement shall prevail over regional economic communities.”
The workshop aims to enhance the capacity of ECOWAS Court officials to promote intra-African trade and economic growth. By the end of the workshop, participants are expected to demonstrate enhanced competence in handling disputes related to trade, investment, competition, intellectual property rights, and digital trade.
The capacity-building initiative demonstrates ECOWAS’s commitment to harnessing the benefits of AfCFTA for its member states.
Professor Ladan expressed profound gratitude to the President of the ECOWAS Commission Court of Justice, Hon Justice Edward Asante, for granting approvals at three different levels towards the materialization of the 2-Day workshop.