The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay Esq., on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, laid before Parliament the Protocol to the African Charter on the Establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, marking the first formal step toward Sierra Leone becoming a State Party to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The Protocol was tabled during a parliamentary sitting at the House of Parliament, Tower Hill, Freetown. The move coincides with the 20th anniversary of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, making Sierra Leone’s action particularly significant as African nations commemorate two decades of strengthening continental mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights.
Once ratified, the Protocol will enable Sierra Leone to participate more actively in Africa’s regional human rights system while reaffirming the country’s commitment to the principles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The ratification process also underscores the Government’s continued efforts to uphold the rule of law, strengthen judicial cooperation, and promote the protection of fundamental rights.
The latest initiative forms part of broader legal and judicial reforms being undertaken by the Government to align Sierra Leone’s legal framework with regional and international standards. Authorities say the process reflects the country’s determination to modernise its justice system and reinforce constitutional governance.
Sierra Leone has also continued to strengthen its engagement with international intellectual property regimes by aligning itself with key treaties administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).
These include the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, the Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organisations, the WIPO Copyright Treaty, the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks, the Budapest Treaty, the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs, the Lisbon Agreement, the Banjul Protocol on Marks, and the Protocol on the Voluntary Registration of Copyright and Related Rights, among other international legal instruments.
According to legal experts, participation in these regional and international treaties strengthens the protection of copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial designs, geographical indications, performers’ rights, and other intellectual property rights. The agreements also encourage innovation, creativity, investment, technology transfer, and sustainable economic development.
The Protocol will now proceed through Parliament’s ratification process. Upon approval, Sierra Leone will deposit its instrument of ratification and formally become a State Party to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, further consolidating its commitment to human rights, access to justice, and regional legal cooperation.
