The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has touted the role of the Africa Centre of International Criminal Justice (ACICJ) at the GIMPA Law School in promoting international criminal law and justice across the continent.
He made the remarks at the Twenty-Fourth Session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which is ongoing at the World Forum in The Hague, Netherlands.
The session takes place from 1st to 6th December 2025, with the thematic general debate occurring on 1st and 2nd December. The theme of the session was “Concrete Measures to Strengthen the International Criminal Court.”
The A-G stated that Ghana “acknowledges the support of the International Criminal Court in the activities of the Africa Centre of International Criminal Justice at the GIMPA Law School in Ghana.”
He emphasized that the Centre, established in May 2017, is “dedicated to the promotion of international criminal law and justice in Africa and the world, through research, capacity-building, seminars and advocacy.”
The Attorney General also highlighted significant visits to the Centre, including former President Hofmanski in September 2022 and ICC Prosecutor Karim Kahn in October 2024, who delivered the Third Eminent Lecture on International Criminal Justice.
These visits, he noted, are “testaments to the continuing invaluable contribution and commitment of the Court to the objectives of the Centre.”
On 30th October 2025, the ACICJ launched the first edition of the African Journal of International Criminal Justice (AJICJ) at the Dr. Daniel McKorley Moot Courtroom, GIMPA Law School.
Dr Ayine said the event brought together “jurists, academics, legal practitioners and students,” and positioned the journal as “a flagship publication to advance scholarship on international criminal law and justice issues in Africa.”
He further stressed that the launch highlighted “the connection between legal scholarship, practitioner engagement, and justice systems on the continent, reflecting ACICJ’s mission.”
Dr Ayine reaffirmed Ghana’s long-standing position that universality remains critical to building a credible and impartial international criminal justice system.
He commended Ukraine’s accession as the 125th State Party to the Rome Statute, calling it a significant step towards broader global acceptance of the Court’s mandate.
On Africa–ICC relations, the Attorney General emphasised that the best support African states can provide to the ICC is the strengthening of democratic governance at home. Genuine democracy, he argued, eliminates the conditions that breed impunity:
“When democracy reigns in its true form, free expression, security, adherence to constitutional limits and fulfilment of citizenship rights — the circumstances that attract ICC intervention will not exist.”
He further urged African countries to establish robust justice systems and investigative capacities and to domesticate the Rome Statute or pass specific legislation on war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
This, he noted, is essential for effective complementarity, which places primary responsibility for prosecuting international crimes on national jurisdictions.
Beyond the continent, Dr Ayine welcomed the ICC’s expanding footprint across different regions. New investigations, strengthened field offices and broader engagement, he said, help reinforce the perception that “international crimes know no geographical boundaries” and that the Court’s mandate applies universally, not disproportionately to Africa.
The Attorney General expressed deep concern over the rising attacks, threats, and sanctions directed at ICC officials, UN mandate holders, and civil society groups who cooperate with the Court. Such actions, he warned, “undermine judicial independence and threaten the global fight against impunity.”
He described the recent malicious cyber-attack attempting to infiltrate ICC systems as part of a worrying trend: “These developments highlight the urgent need to fortify the Court’s digital resilience and enhance the protection of its personnel and partners.”
He called for the lifting of all measures that impede the Court’s officials, insisting that no political, financial, or technological intimidation should be tolerated.
He also lauded the ongoing Review Mechanism, Working Groups, and the Independent Oversight Mechanism for advancing reforms to improve governance, cooperation, and prosecutorial procedures at the Court.
Dr Ayine also stressed the importance of equitable geographic and gender balance in ICC recruitment processes, arguing that diversity enhances efficiency, impartiality, and representation across the Rome Statute community.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Law School of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to renew their existing cooperation agreement for another 5 years on 4 December 2024.
The signing ceremony took place at the World Forum Convention Center ICC in The Hague, The Netherlands, on Wednesday, 4 December 2024, on the sidelines of the 23rd Assembly of States Parties of the ICC conference, which was held in the Netherlands from 2 to 7 December 2024.
Osvaldo Zavala Giler, the Registrar of the International Criminal Court (ICC), signed the MoU on behalf of the Court with the able support of the ICC’s Deputy Prosecutor, Mame Mandiaye Niang. Dr Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, the Dean of the GIMPA Law School, also signed on behalf of GIMPA.
The International Criminal Court and the African Centre of International Criminal Justice, one of the centres led by Kwaku Agyeman-Budu at GIMPA Law School, signed a memorandum of understanding which will allow the two institutions to co-operate closely in the fight against impunity on the African continent.
The aim is to deepen understanding and appreciation of the role and work of the ICC within the international criminal law and justice architecture.
The original agreement was signed by representatives of the two institutions on 6 December 2019 in The Hague on the sidelines of the Assembly of State Parties of the ICC, which took place that month.
The relationship between the ICC and the ACICJ, which was formalised, has led to the development of courses focusing on international criminal law (in particular the Master of Laws Degree (LL.M) programme in International Criminal Law and Justice, the first course of its kind in Ghana), participation in the ICC internship programme by ACICJ students, and participation in the ICC visiting professionals programme by ACICJ students and faculty.
It also promotes the exchange of speakers and collaborative initiatives such as lectures, seminars, events, research, and scholarships in the area of international criminal law.
