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This event is part of a series of free events open to global scholars and interested parties from the global south made possible through sponsorship.
This is a joint event held with University of Dundee's Politics and International Relations department and the Dundee Africa Research Network.
The role of regions and regional institutions has moved considerably from the traditional scope of trade and security, to other socio-political and legal areas that now provide an acceptable legal framework to promote human rights in the context of regional citizenship. Such evolving regional judicial regimes, apart from adjudicating on matters of regional economic integration and interpreting the regional instruments among the cooperating states, it has become evident that the regimes could be a viable agent or instrument in protecting people within the regions from human rights abuses. By so doing, promotion of human rights is no longer restricted to international and national courts. The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice is an example which has been described as one of the most active institutions in Africa with considerable records of landmark cases in the areas of human rights. According to the President of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights, Honourable Lady Justice Imani D. Aboud on 28th June 2021:
'The contribution of the ECOWAS Court of Justice to the development of the African Charter cannot be overemphasised; from political freedoms to socio-economic rights, this sister Court has adjudicated leading cases and awarded reparations on issues involving political participation'
The ECOWAS Court’s rulings included Ameganvi and Others v. Togo ordering the reinstatement of members of parliament; Koraou v. Niger on Slavery where ECOWAS Court awarded USD 20,000 to the victim; SERAP v. Nigeria where the Court ordered that the State replaced the misappropriated funds voted for basic education, Saidykhan v. Gambia where the Court awarded USD 200,000 to the Applicant on the freedom of expression. Within first half of 2021, the Court has decided 16 cases, it decided 19 cases in 2020, and presently has over 30 incoming cases to be heard.
Considering the rising profile of ECOWAS Court in promoting human rights through regional integration framework, Dundee Africa Research Network (DARN), the University of Dundee’s Politics and International Relations Department and BISA- Africa Working Group are pleased to present Rt. Hon. Mojeed Alabi who is an expert on the ECOWAS Court to take us through the journey of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, its legal framework, challenges faced by the court and the future direction of human rights and regional integration as a complementary or antithetical project in the quest for ‘the ECOWAS of the People’.
Short Bio of the Speaker:
Rt Hon. Mojeed Alabi, Ph.D. is a former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, former member of Federal House of Representatives in Nigeria, former Deputy Chair of House of Representatives’ Committee on Human Rights, Professor of Political Science and Adjunct Professor of Public and International Law at Osun State University. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Ibadan and a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Leicester, UK. He recently consulted for UNDP. He is the author of ECOWAS Court and Regional Integration in West Africa, available on Amazon
The Chair of the event is Kurt Mills, Ph.D., Professor of International Relations and Human Rights, University of Dundee, and a member of the BISA's Executive Committee.
The Discussant is Peter Brett, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Queen Mary University, London and Co-convenor of BISA'S Africa Working Group.