Abuja: The ECOWAS Court of Justice has officially adopted new rules of procedure titled ‘New Instructions to the Chief Registrar and Practice Directions (2025)’, aimed at enhancing efficiency and procedural integrity.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, this development was announced in a statement by Mr. Felicien Hounkanrin, the court’s Acting Head of Public Information and External Relations. Hounkanrin emphasized that these updated guidelines reinforce the court’s commitment to providing effective access to justice for citizens within the ECOWAS subregion.
The adoption of these guidelines follows recommendations from the Judicial Retreat held from November 12 to November 15, 2023, and the Judges’ Retreat from November 15 to November 19, 2023. The revised documents consolidate and supplement the Instructions to the Chief Registrar and Practice Directions of 2012, as well as the 2020 Practice Directions on Electronic Case Management and Virtual Court Sessions, addressing procedural gaps and improving case
management. These updates are issued under Article 12 and Article 100 of the Court’s Rules, empowering the Court to establish procedural guidelines and ensure the proper conduct of Parties, Agents, Advisers, and Counsel.
Hounkanrin noted that the guidelines are available in the three official languages of ECOWAS: English, French, and Portuguese, ensuring accessibility across the ECOWAS Community. The new rules streamline case management, monitoring, compliance, expedited procedures, and enhance language accessibility, among other benefits. Applications must comply with specified page limits to ensure expediency; Initiating Applications and Statements of Defence are limited to 15 pages, Replies and Rejoinders to 10 pages, and other applications to 5 pages.
The Chief Registrar is responsible for ensuring adherence to filing deadlines, issuing Certificates of Non-lodgement in cases of non-compliance, and delisting dormant cases where appropriate. Parties requiring interpretation in non-working languages of the
court may formally request such services, with provisions for freelance interpreters under ECOWAS-approved conditions. Clear timelines and processes for raising preliminary objections and consolidating cases are outlined to streamline proceedings.
The court’s spokesman highlighted that these new directives are grounded in the court’s ongoing efforts to address procedural challenges and uphold the principles of justice and equity. Legal practitioners, litigants, and stakeholders are encouraged to review these documents to align with the newly adopted procedures by the Court.