ECOWAS MOOT COURT COMPETITION: A LOOK BACK AT A FIRST DAY MARKED BY POWERFUL ARGUMENTS IN DAKAR

The 2nd edition of the ECOWAS Court of Justice Regional Moot Court Competition officially started Wednesday in Dakar, bringing together law students, academics, juries and institutional representatives around an event focused on legal excellence and regional integration.

Organised at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, the opening ceremony was attended by several prominent figures, including the Honourable Judge Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Mr. Daouda NGOM, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, and Dr. Ousmane Diallo, Director of Research and Documentation and Chairman of the Organising Committee.

This regional competition brings together university teams from Benin, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal and Togo, with Cabo Verde participating as an observer country.

After the briefing sessions, the arrival of the delegations and the official speeches, the first elimination rounds began in the rooms of the Institute of Legal Professions and the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences.

Throughout this first day, the candidates competed in simulations of judicial procedures inspired by the jurisdiction of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, before juries composed of legal specialists.

The various confrontations highlighted the level of preparation of the teams as well as the quality of the arguments developed by the students around the issues of community law and sub-regional integration.

Through this initiative, the ECOWAS Court of Justice intends to strengthen the practical skills of future African lawyers, while raising awareness among university youth of the role of community courts in promoting the rule of law and human rights.

This first day was also marked by moments of exchange between students, supervisors and professionals from the legal world in an atmosphere combining competition, learning and regional openness.

Attention is now focused on the semi-finals scheduled for this Thursday, before the grand final which will be held on May 22, 2026 at the Supreme Court of Senegal.