Community Court Of Justice, ECOWAS Holds Second Moot Court Competition In Dakar

The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, is hosting the second edition of its annual Moot Court Competition in Dakar, bringing together law students, academics, and legal practitioners from across West Africa in a regional initiative aimed at strengthening legal education and deepening understanding of Community law.

The three-day competition, scheduled for May 20 to 22, 2026, is part of the Court’s broader drive to promote awareness of its jurisdiction and jurisprudence while equipping the next generation of lawyers with practical advocacy, research and analytical skills.

Organised under the theme, “Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Jurists,” the competition is expected to provide participants with hands-on exposure to simulated legal proceedings, enabling them to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world legal practice.

This year’s edition will feature eight universities from francophone ECOWAS member states, including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal and Togo, while students from a university in Cape Verde will participate as observers. Each institution will field a team made up of two students and a faculty adviser.

The competition is structured in two phases — written and oral. During the written stage, participating teams prepare memorials for both the applicant and respondent based on a hypothetical legal dispute rooted in issues falling within the jurisdiction of the ECOWAS Court. The top-performing teams from the written assessments advance to the oral rounds.

The oral phase in Dakar will feature preliminary and semi-final rounds before designated panels, culminating in a grand finale where the two best teams will argue before a distinguished panel of judges. The event will end with an awards and closing ceremony recognising outstanding teams and participants, while a cultural tour is scheduled for May 23.

The maiden edition of the competition, held in Abuja in 2025, attracted participation from 13 Nigerian universities at the memorial stage, with eight advancing to the oral rounds. Ahmadu Bello University emerged as the overall winner of the inaugural edition.

Senior government officials from Senegal, members of the Senegalese judiciary and bar association, academics, media representatives, partner organisations and guests are expected to attend this year’s competition alongside judges and staff of the ECOWAS Court.

The Court said the initiative reflects its continued commitment to promoting legal excellence, strengthening access to justice and advancing human rights within the West African sub-region.

According to the Court, the programme is also designed to foster stronger institutional ties between the judiciary and academic institutions while nurturing a new generation of lawyers with deeper knowledge of Community law and regional integration mechanisms.