ECOWAS Court hosts competition for Nigerian law students

The ECOWAS Court on Wednesday kicked off its first edition of the ECOWAS Court Moot Court Competition for law students in the country.

Eight universities in Nigeria – American University, Yola; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Igbinedion University, Okada; Lagos State University; University of Jos; Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti and University of Uyo – are participating in the competition, which will end on Saturday.

While opening the competition in Abuja, the President of the ECOWAS Court, Ricardo Gonçalves, said that the competition is an important milestone in strengthening legal culture and regional integration within the Community.

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He said the Court intends to make the competition an annual tradition, expanding it to include universities from all ECOWAS Member States.

“By bringing together young law students here, we are investing not only in the future of ECOWAS community law but also in the future of sub-regional integration itself,” he said.

Gonçalves said the ECOWAS Court, through this competition, aims to enhance participants’ understanding of the role, mandate, and procedures of the Court and its contributions to regional peace, integration, and human rights protection and hone the research, advocacy, and legal writing skills of the participants.

Also, it aims to broaden awareness of the Court’s work across Member States while also fostering lasting connections among law students, academics, practitioners, and ECOWAS institutions.

“It is often said that the strength of a region lies in its youth. This is especially true for the legal profession. The students participating in this Moot Court represent the future judges, lawyers, policymakers, and thought leaders of West Africa. By engaging you at this stage, we are laying the foundation for a resilient, just, and forward-looking legal system in our region,” he said.