ADR protects clients, justice system-Chief Justice rallies lawyers
By DL News
Published
Updated
2 min read
Speaking in Ho at the opening of this year’s ADR Week, the Chief Justice said the justice sector continues to grapple with unacceptable delays in dispute resolution.
Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has urged legal practitioners across the country to actively promote the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), insisting that the mechanism enhances justice delivery without threatening lawyers’ professional earnings.
Speaking in Ho at the opening of this year’s ADR Week, the Chief Justice said the justice sector continues to grapple with unacceptable delays in dispute resolution—an issue he himself faced squarely during his vetting. ADR, he noted, provides a ready solution.
In a direct appeal to lawyers, the Chief Justice dismissed long-standing concerns that mediation and related processes undermine legal fees.
He argued that the courts must work collaboratively with ADR structures to reduce congestion and to guarantee quicker, more harmonious settlements.
Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah, the Court of Appeal judge responsible for ADR, said engagements with chiefs, clergy, and judges across the country reveal overwhelming support for stronger ADR integration.
She emphasised that the ADR Act, 2010 (Act 798) requires the establishment of a dedicated ADR Centre, complete with regional and district branches—an architecture the Judiciary intends to fully actualise.
According to her, two decades of court-connected mediation have already resulted in more than 37,000 cases being settled. She also disclosed that 400 new mediators are being prepared for deployment nationwide.
The Oti–Volta Regional Chair of the Ghana Bar Association, Moses Ayine Asampoa, described ADR as a high-impact tool that remains underused despite its simplicity and cost-effectiveness.
He highlighted ADR’s strengths—privacy, speed, flexibility, and the ability to create mutually satisfactory outcomes—and called for stronger digital transformation within the justice sector.
Volta Regional Minister James Gunu also emphasised that technology is pivotal to building a justice system that is accessible to all.
He said innovation and digital tools must be integrated into ADR systems to shorten delays, decentralise services and strengthen public confidence.
ADR Week, championed annually by the Judicial Service of Ghana, has evolved into a nationwide programme of education, free mediation, community outreach, and mediator training.
The 2025 edition is heavily focused on digital innovation, reflecting the judiciary’s long-term goal of modernising case management and reducing backlogs.
