Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo
Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has officially launched the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) week with a call on Ghanaians to deepen their commitment to the course of justice by resorting to interventions that make access to justice more meaningful than the adversarial system many are used to.
She indicated that quality justice can only be said to have been done when the adjudication process is expeditious, devoid of unnecessary expense and “ensures that as far as possible all matters in dispute between parties are completely, effectively and finally determined and the multiplicity of proceedings concerning such matters are avoided”.
She therefore implored Ghanaians to embrace the ADR process which has numerous advantages over court procedures.
The ADR is a range of procedures that serve as an alternative to traditional litigation for the resolution of disputes; it generally involves the assistance of a neutral or impartial third party.
Speaking at the launch of the ADR week at the Supreme Court in Accra, Justice Sophia Akuffo noted that ADR serves as a complement and the best way to solve disputes, thus making access to justice cheaper, easier, non-adversarial and faster.
She stated that ADR assists parties in a case to comply with agreements as people who design solutions to their own conflicts are more likely to be satisfied with the outcomes than people whom resolution is thrust upon.
She said the ADR helps to cut down litigation cost thereby making justice accessible to all in the country.
“ADR helps in avoiding the high rate of unnecessary spending and delay in disputes settlement”, she added.
Justice Akuffo said ADR helps to decongest the courts thus enabling judges to have more time in handling cases which are not amenable to ADR.
She stated that the court procedures being an adversarial process has their own strengths but characterized by factors that occasion delays and cost thereby making access to justice most of the time burdensome.
She said it was for this reason that ADR was adopted to ensure that quality justice is not compromised.
Justice Sophia Akuffo, therefore, urged judges across the country to resort to ADR where applicable.
The Chief Justice noted that currently a total number of 590 mediators have been trained and assigned to the 117 courts connected to the ADR programme.
She also disclosed that some ADR practitioners would be discharged to churches, mosques, hospitals and other public places to educate and create awareness on the use and importance of the ADR.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak & Magdalene Jireh