By Dr. Smita Krishnan
ASCENT Highlights the Importance of Green Economy in Africa during the 5th Annual African Chief Justices and Supreme Constitutional Courts
The Chairman and Founder of Africa Sustainability Centre (ASCENT), Dr. Kante will be a keynote speaker at the Fifth High Level Meeting for the Chief Justices and Presidents of African Constitutional and Supreme Courts & Constitutional Councils. Dr. Kante will focus on Environmental Rule of Law, Green Economy and the Role of African Chief Justices. As Green Economy is evolving and is being accepted and adopted by the global community, it is also relevant to Africa primarily for the opportunities it can offer the region and its people. Africa can explore the opportunities for a much greener economy and growth that can enable its people to participate in the development process which should not leave anyone behind, especially the poor.
The meeting hails judges and heads of constitutional, supreme and continental courts from African states and experts from around the world. There are five working sessions which will explore thoughts and dialogue on how African judiciaries and constitutional law could contribute in the Challenge of Combating Terrorism, Greening the Economy and Decarbonizing it, Electronic Justice and Digital Transformation of our Societies in Africa, Reforming Health Care Systems, and finally Judicial Ethics & Electoral Justice. African judiciaries will prepare and promote to building the right legal infrastructure to exert the efforts to move forward on the road to a more prosperous future for African peoples.
Earlier this year, Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) hosted a virtual meeting to prepare for the fifth high-level African constitutional conference, chaired by the head of the SCC, Chancellor Said Marei, and attended by senior African judges and international experts. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the judicial field, especially in international communication and cooperation, emphasizing the need for adopting e-justice systems were highlighted during the preparatory meeting. It also underlined the importance of pushing digital transformation forward to ensure effective judicial systems, and discussed anti-terrorism efforts, as well as the vital role played by judicial bodies to counter all forms of terrorism.
The Egyptian state has been keen on pushing forward the cooperation with African countries since 2017, when Cairo’s annual meeting was launched, in order to upgrade the litigation system and its role in society at the African level.