S.A. B. Akuffo and F. Ouguergouz to steer the Court

During its 26th Ordinary Session held from 17 to 28 September, 2012, the Court elected Justice Sophia A.B. Akuffo and Justice Fatsah Ouguergouz, as President and Vice President, respectively, for a two year term.

Justice Sophia A. B. Akuffo, who hails from Ghana, was first elected Judge of the Court in 2006 for a two-year term and re-elected in 2008 for a six-year term. She was elected as Vice-President of the Court in September 2008 for a two-year term and re-elected in September 2010.   She is a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana and a member of several organizations, including the Advisory Committee of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute.

Justice Fatsah Ouguergouz, a national from Algeria, is also one of the very first Judges of the Court. He was elected Judge of the Court in 2006 for a four year term and re-elected in 2010 for a six-year term. He is a founding member and Executive Director of the African Foundation for International Law (The Hague) as well as Associate Editor of the African Yearbook of International Law. He is Member of the International Editorial Advisory Board of the African Human Rights Law Journal and of the International Law in Domestic Courts Online (Amsterdam/Oxford). He is the author of numerous publications in the field of international law.

Justice Sophia A. B. Akuffo replaces Justice Gérard Niyungeko (Burundi) who served as the first President of the Court (2006-2008) and was elected for a second time as President for the period 2010-2012.

According to the Protocol establishing the African Court and the Rules of Court, the President and Vice-President of the Court are elected among serving Judges of the Court for a two-year term renewable only once.

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