Chinese firm awarded contract to build African court

GOOBJOOG NEWS: A Chinese firm has worn the tender to build the headquarters for the African Court on Human and People’s Rights in Arusha.

CRJE (East Africa) ltd was awarded the tender whose cost has been put at 25.79 million with host Tanzania pledging about $3.7 million to the project. The court said it planned to raise the rest of the money from other “partners”.

The African Court, which was established in 1998, has been a tenant in the Tanzania National Parks headquarters building since it moved its permanent seat from Addis Ababa in 2007, a year after it formally started operating.

However, despite the latest show of commitment, Tanzania’s own relationship with the court has been somewhat rocky, mainly thanks to Article 34 of the protocol establishing the court which gives it the mandate to hear petitions filed directly by individuals and civil society organisations without first exhausting all domestic court channels.

But in November 2019, Tanzania formally announced its withdrawal from the controversial clause citing dissatisfaction with the way it was being implemented, particularly in relation to cases challenging the government.

Of the 34 African countries that have so far ratified the African Court protocol, only eight are understood to have accepted Article 34.

Rwanda also formally withdrew from the clause in February 2016.