President John Dramani Mahama touched down at Kilimanjaro International Airport on Sunday evening ahead of Monday’s solemn opening of the 2026 Judicial Year of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The President will deliver the keynote address at the ceremony marking the court’s 20th anniversary, making him the first sitting Ghanaian head of state to address the continental judicial body.
Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, received President Mahama at the airport, signaling the importance both nations attach to the event.
Ghana’s High Commissioner to Kenya, H.E. Paul Evans Aidoo, who is also accredited to Tanzania, joined the reception alongside Supreme Court Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, a member of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Traveling with the President were senior officials including Presidential Advisor Joyce Bawa Mogtari and Legal Advisor to the President Marietta Agyeiwaa Brew.
Monday’s programme at Kibo Hall within the court’s Arusha premises begins with President Mahama’s arrival at 11:00 a.m. East African Time, followed by a private meeting with the Court’s President, Honourable Justice Blaise Tchikaya.
The President will then deliver his keynote at 1:15 p.m., speaking immediately after Justice Tchikaya’s reflections on the new judicial year and the milestone anniversary.
Themed “20 Years of Service in Protecting Human and Peoples’ Rights in Africa,” the ceremony will officially launch commemorations of the court’s two decades of operations while opening its 2026 judicial calendar.
Dignitaries from across the continent will attend in person and virtually via Zoom, with goodwill messages expected from representatives of Tanzania, the African Union Commission, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the United Nations.
The court will unveil its new website during the ceremony, with the official launch taking place alongside the declaration opening the judicial year.
Honourable Lady Justice Chafika Bensaoula, Vice President of the Court, will deliver the vote of thanks to close the programme.
President Mahama’s participation reinforces Ghana’s commitment to the rule of law, human rights protection, and the strengthening of African Union institutions responsible for continental governance.
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, established in 2006 and based in Arusha, provides judicial oversight of human rights violations across Africa, complementing the work of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
