The ECOWAS Court of Justice on Wednesday opened a three-day training for journalists from Member States covering the Court, to enhance accuracy and public understanding of its mandate and jurisprudence.
The training, holding in Abuja, is aimed at creating an effective network of journalists regularly reporting the activities of the Court to increase its visibility across the sub-region.
Declaring the training open, the Vice President of the Court, Justice Sengu Koroma, who represented the President of the Court, said public understanding of the Court’s mandate remained limited due to gaps in reportage.
“The Community Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of ECOWAS, charged with the main function of interpreting and applying ECOWAS legal instruments.
”It promotes the Rule of Law and safeguards human rights of citizens and people in the ECOWAS sub-region.
“However, public understanding of the Court’s mandate, processes, procedures, and the impact of its judgments on the people and region remains limited due to gaps in journalists’ reports on the Court,” Koroma said.
He stressed that accurate and responsible reporting would enable citizens to better understand the Court’s decisions and their implications.
“To report judicial proceedings accurately, journalists must have a clear understanding of the court’s mandate, its jurisdiction, composition, and structure.
“They must distinguish between the pleadings of the parties and the findings of the court, based on evidence,” he said.
Koroma warned against bias and sensationalism in judicial reporting.
“It is of paramount importance that journalists in reporting the decisions of the court must avoid bias, sensationalism, misinformation, and disinformation,” he said.
He also urged journalists to use their platforms to engage Member States on compliance with the Court’s judgments.
“The judgment enforcement mechanism of the court gives Member States the responsibility of enforcing the judgments of the court, which at the moment is below expectation,” he added.
Mrs Marie Saine, the Court’s Deputy Chief Registrar, in an address of welcome, said the training marked the beginning of a more structured engagement between the Court and the media.
“Your presence here represents more than the commencement of a training programme.
“It marks the beginning of a more structured and sustained engagement between the Court and the journalists, who play such an important role in informing citizens,” Saine said.
She said the impact of any judicial institution cannot be measured solely by the number of cases it determines, but by how well it is understood.
“A court must also be understood. Its mandate must be understood. Its procedures must be understood. Its decisions must be understood.
“For the overwhelming majority of citizens, the courtroom is not a place they enter every day. The journalist serves as an important bridge between the Court and the public,” she said.
Saine noted that court reporting required professional judgment to distinguish between allegations and established facts, and between submissions of parties and findings of the Court.
“An inaccurate report can misrepresent a litigant’s position, distort the substance of a judgment or create a misunderstanding of the law,” she cautioned.
Earlier, Ms Elohor Ovadje, Head of Division, Public Information and External Relations, said the training aligned with the Court’s Strategic Plan 2026-2030 with the slogan “Justice for All by 2030”.
She said research had shown limited public understanding of the Court’s processes and impact due to gaps in journalists’ knowledge of its legal framework and terminology.
“The overall objective of this training is to create an effective network of journalists across ECOWAS, who are regularly reporting on the Court’s activities.
“This is to increase visibility, so the people we serve will know what is going on, and what the impact is on them,” Ovadje said.
According to her, the training will equip journalists with skills to extract facts correctly from official sources, promote objective and balanced reports free of bias, and strengthen advocacy for compliance with Court decisions.
She listed expected outcomes to include improved quality and accuracy of reports, enhanced public awareness, and establishment of a network of journalists specialised in judicial reporting.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the training will feature technical presentations, participatory sessions, and a live court session on Friday.
