The COMESA Court of Justice (CCJ) has called on Journalists to sensitise the public on the existence and works of the court to enable countries and citizens with disputes of regional nature, utilise it.
The jurisdiction of the Court, which was established in 1994 under COMESA treaty, is to oversee disputes between member states and members of staff as well as to provide an advisory opinion to the regional body.
COMESA Court of Justice immediate past Principal Judge, Samuel Rugege said the regional court played an important role in promoting regional integration and yet very few people were aware of its existence.
Prof Justice Rugege, who is also Rwanda Chief Justice, said there was need for the media in the region, to aggressively publicise the work of the court and educate people on the COMESA treaty so that more litigants and lawyers in the region utilise it.
He said this in Livingstone on today when he officially opened the COMESA Competition Commission regional sensitisation workshop for business reporters.
“The COMESA Court of Justice plays an important role in settling disputes and in promoting the regional integration agenda but few people are aware of its sittings,” he said.
Professor Rugege said it was the responsibility of journalists to inform people about the court and matters that were being settled before it.
He said only 42 cases from litigants had been handled by the court since its inception many years ago.
And speaking at the same meeting, COMESA Competition Commission Board Chairperson Matthews Chikankheni urged the media to help raise public awareness of both the role and actions of the Commission.
Mr Chikankheni said explaining the merits of a competitive environment in a common language could help the general public better understand competition policy objectives.
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