Thabani Dube
Egypt, Cairo
The Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) is set to launch an online platform connecting judiciary systems across Africa, in a move set to tackle challenges bedevilling the justice councils, it has emerged.
In 2017, the SCC which is an independent specialised court, comprises of a President (or Chief Justice) and ten Vice-Presidents (or deputy chief justices), with the primary role of deciding the constitutionality of laws in Egypt championed annual “Cairo Meetings” in which judiciary leaders or representatives from all 54 countries are invited.
This year’s meeting held in February was attended by 45 nations which resolved that an online network to be set up connecting judiciary systems in Africa.
“I would like to notify you that in our upcoming third Cairo meeting set for February 2019 we shall be launching this platform connecting judiciary councils across Africa,” Deputy Chief Justice Adel Omar Elsherif told journalists from African countries in a meeting at the SCC offices on Sunday.
The journalists drawn from 22 countries, including Zimbabwe, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Sudan, South Sudan, Gambia, Niger, Angola, Congo, Senegal, South Africa and Ivory Coast, Uganda, Djibouti, Tunisia, Lesotho, Botswana and Gabon, are attending a 20 Day 52nd training course for Young African Journalists organised by the Union of African Journalists (UAJ) in collaboration with Ministry of Information of the North African country.
Elsherif said the government of Egypt has a role to play in promoting the judiciary systems in Africa.
“The meetings seek to address challenges facing judiciary systems in Africa as well as to help each other to promote good administrative practices and foster independency of the justice sector in Africa,” he added.
He said for example, this year they trained judges from South Sudan.
“We also had one chief justice in attendance at one of the meetings who pleaded with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to liaise with his President to set an environment and judiciary system like one prevailing in Egypt in their country,” he revealed.