African Judicial Exchange Network Guidelines on Judicial Communication with the Public and the Media

The African Judicial Exchange Network Guidelines on Judicial Communication with the Public and the Media are a practical guidebook for African judiciaries. They build on the CEELI Institute's earlier guidelines on judicial communication, developed within its Central and Eastern European Judicial Network. This edition was adapted and expanded with judges from Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, based on workshops held in early 2026. The Guidelines show how courts can build public trust by explaining their role, decisions and work clearlyInside, readers will find:

Foundations: why courts need to communicate, and the international standards on court communication and judges' freedom of expression.

Strategy: how to build a communication strategy, choose spokespersons, map audiences and use owned, earned and paid channels.

Hard situations: chapters on messaging and narratives, the use of AI, internal communication, crisis communication and countering disinformation.

Social media: practical do's and don'ts for judges' personal use.

African practice: real-life case studies, including the Kenya Judiciary's communication during the Gen Z demonstrations, Ghana's community outreach and response to disinformation, and the spokesperson models of Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania. Country overviews describe how judiciaries in Botswana, The Gambia, Kenya, Malawi and Nigeria organise their communication.

Ready-to-use tools: a checklist for organising public events, a guide to preparing for media interviews, example holding statements and a list of common communication mistakes.

Frequently asked questions

They are a practical guidebook for African judiciaries on communicating with the public and the media, published by the CEELI Institute in September 2026. Developed with judges of the CEELI African Judicial Exchange Network, the Guidelines cover communication strategy, spokespersons, audiences, channels, social media, crisis communication and disinformation. They are illustrated with case studies from courts in nine African countries.

They are written for and with African judiciaries. Judges from Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia contributed chapters, case studies and country overviews based on their own courts' practice. International standards such as the UNODC guidelines set general principles, and CEELI's earlier edition focused on Central and Eastern Europe. This edition applies those principles to African realities.

The Guidelines are for judges at all levels, court spokespersons, registrars, court communication staff, judicial leaders and policymakers in Africa. They are a hands-on tool for judiciaries building a communication function for the first time and for those strengthening an existing communication unit or strategy.

By combining prebunking and debunking. Prebunking shares accurate information before false narratives spread. Debunking uses the fact-myth-fallacy-fact method to correct claims already circulating. The Guidelines note that debunking is more common in Ghana and that most African judiciaries need more prebunking. Ghana's practices include plain-language judgment summaries, an accredited Judicial Service Press Corps and press statements by the Judicial Secretary.

The Guidelines include these ready-to-use tools:

  • a checklist for organising public events

  • a guide to preparing for media interviews before, during and after

  • example holding statements for crises

  • a list of common communication mistakes

  • questions for designing a response to disinformation

  • a do's and don'ts list for judges' personal use of social media

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