ZANZIBAR – From 4 to 9 October 2026, Chief Justices and senior judicial officials from across Southern and Eastern Africa gathered at Hotel Verde, Zanzibar, for the Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Southern and Eastern Africa Chief Justices’ Forum (SEACJF). The Forum’s origins trace back to conversations among judicial leaders in Zanzibar, more than two decades ago. This year's theme was “Transforming Justice Delivery: Innovation, Efficiency and Court Administration Reform.”

The Chandler Institute of Justice (CIJ) participated as the conference’s Knowledge Partner, alongside the host, the Judiciary of Zanzibar. The conference opened on 5 October 2026 with His Excellency Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar, as Guest of Honour, joined by His Excellency Ndaba Gaolathe, Vice President and Minister of Finance of Botswana, and the Hon. Justice Rizine Mzikamanda, Chief Justice of Malawi and Chairperson of SEACJF. The Forum launched its new SEACJF Guidelines during the opening ceremony.

From Seychelles to Zanzibar

CIJ’s presence in Zanzibar was the first major outcome of a partnership formed earlier in 2026. In April, CIJ delivered the inaugural Chandler Judicial Forum in Seychelles, bringing Chief Justices from across Southern and Eastern Africa together for two days of substantive dialogue on judicial leadership, innovation, and court modernisation. On 29 May 2026, CIJ and SEACJF signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing to collaborate on law reform, capacity building, and legal knowledge exchange across the Forum’s 15 member judiciaries. The Zanzibar conference was the first occasion to put that commitment into practice, with CIJ contributing as Knowledge Partner and presenting its research on court-annexed alternative dispute resolution to the gathered Chief Justices.

Trust Rests on Three Legs

CIJ’s Executive Director, Ron Chari, used his opening remarks to offer a framework for the conference’s theme. He argued that national prosperity rests on trust, and that trust itself rests like a stool on three legs: national integrity, in how citizens, companies, and institutions value truth, honesty, and transparency; government competence, in the ability of governments to deliver for their people; and the rule of law, in the existence of just laws applied impartially. Each leg is necessary. If one is weak, the stool cannot stand. The judiciaries of Southern and Eastern Africa carry the third leg, and in doing so they shape public trust in the other two. The conference closed on 6 October 2026 with the adoption of a communiqué and resolutions, and the SEACJF Annual General Meeting was held on 8 October 2026.

CIJ extends its sincere gratitude to SEACJF and its Secretariat, to the Hon. Justice Khamis R. Abdalla, Chief Justice of Zanzibar, and the Judiciary of Zanzibar for their generous hospitality, and to the Judiciary of Seychelles, whose collaboration on the inaugural Chandler Judicial Forum laid the groundwork for this partnership.