The Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has announced that this year’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for the current Legal Year Term begins today and will conclude on Friday, November 28.
A total of 138 courts—including 35 Circuit Courts and 103 District Courts—will participate, dedicating the entire week to the settlement of cases through ADR across the country.
A statement issued by acting Deputy Director of the ADR, Christiana Pourideme, said the week would be observed on the theme: "Adoption of innovation and technology to enhance access to justice delivery through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
The Chief Justice is expected to address the bar, media and public at the High Court, Ho in the Volta Region, to mark the official opening of the ADR Week.
ADR
ADR has been adopted by the Judicial Service of Ghana as part of its adjudication process dubbed "Court Connected ADR".
This programme aims to ensure that access to justice in Ghana is made easier, cheaper, non-adversarial, expeditious and flexible to all, particularly the poor and vulnerable.
The rationale for the ADR Week is to allow the ADR Directorate of the Judicial Service to engage the general public in the presence of ADR within the court system, its importance in seeking justice and how to take advantage of such an important process for meaningful access to justice, especially for the poor and the vulnerable.
It is also to afford court users, whose cases are pending before the courts, the opportunity of using ADR during the week under what the Judicial Service describes as "Mass Mediation Exercise”, where the selected courts shall be dedicated to settling disputes through the ADR mechanism.
