The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights: assessing its effectiveness

This article examines the effectiveness of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights using the compliance rate, the usage rate and the goal-based approaches. It uses a qualitative research method combined with purposive sampling and it consults the jurisprudence of the African Court and secondary sources to assess the effectiveness of the Court. The article submits that taking into consideration its relatively short period of operation and the volatile political environment in which it has been functioning, the African Court has been effective in presiding over sensitive cases involving issues such as freedom of expression, press freedom, and election disputes. Compliance with some of the Court’s sensitive judgments also attests to some degree of its effectiveness. It is also reasoned that the African Court should in the future pay more close attention to factors that are capable of affecting its effectiveness. These factors include the soundness of the legal reasoning employed in delivering judgments, the composition of the African Court, the enforceability of reparation orders, and a holistic understanding of the socio-economic and political context of the state parties.