Chief Justice (CJ), Gertrude Araba Essaba Sackey Torkornoo, yesterday underscored the significance of Alternative Dispute Decision (ADR) in Ghana’s industrial justice system.
She famous that ADR mechanisms, resembling mediation and arbitration, had gained recognition because of their less-adversarial approach, which promotes peace and reconciliation amongst disputing events.
Talking by means of Justice Angelina Malessah-Homiah on the launch of ADR Week in Kumasi, the Chief Justice highlighted ADR’s advantages to incorporate sooner and extra environment friendly dispute decision, lowered burden on courts, and preservation of relationships between events.
“ADR mechanisms are much less adversarial and, thus have the power to reconcile events and protect relationships past the dispute administration course of…Our objective is to advertise and uphold peace amongst disputing events. The disadvantages of litigation aren’t one thing we get pleasure from,” The Chief Justice famous.
She, nonetheless, acknowledged that many enterprisees and people had been unaware of ADR’s advantages or hesitant to maneuver away from conventional litigation.
To deal with this, the Judiciary, Chief Justice Torkornoo mentioned was intensifying efforts to teach the general public and prepare ADR professionals.
The Chief Justice additional introduced that the Judiciary had already began participating stakeholders within the enterprise neighborhood, together with cocoa cooperative societies, merchants’ associations and financial savings and loans institutions on ADR.
Chief Justice Torkornoo mentioned that Ghana’s Business Courts and pre-trial settlement conferences had efficiently resolved instances effectively, utilizing procedural guidelines resembling Order 58 of CI 47 and the District Court docket Guidelines, CI 59.
Furthermore, she famous that Court docket-Connected Different Dispute Decision (CCADR) had additionally contributed to financial stability by permitting negotiated settlements.
Key Highlights of ADR Week 2025 include 138 ADR-connected courts nationwide to host mass mediation periods.
The Judiciary would additionally have interaction with media shops to advertise ADR consciousness, with courtroom customers, judges, and magistrates taking part in sensitisation programmes, to advertise ADR understanding and adoption.
FROM KINGSLEY E. HOPE, KUMASI
