Justice Mensah-Homiah was speaking at the launch of the Legal Year Second Term ADR Week held at the
Circuit Court, Achimota under the theme “Improving Access to Justice in a Post-Pandemic through the use of ADR”.
The Court of Appeal Judge with oversight responsibility for ADR, took time to outline the benefits of Court
Connected Alternative Dispute Resolution over ligation under four core points.
“The first is that it allows parties to have more control over the outcome of their dispute.” Secondly the
“ADR process is confidential, which means that parties can avoid the publicity and exposure associated with litigation.”
The third benefit of ADR over litigation is that all things being equal, cases are settled faster, thereby reducing the
cost of resolving a dispute”, she said. Justice Mensah-Homiah concluded that, “in the CCADR, the consent judgment
pronounced by a court, pursuant to agreements(s) executed or signed by the parties, is not appealable.”
Over the years, the Judicial Service, through several initiatives, has achieved great strides in bringing access
to justice to the doorsteps of the public. These initiatives include the establishment of about One Hundred (100)
District Courts across the country, the setting up of a permanent Court of Appeal in Kumasi for the Northern
Sector of the country and amendments to the Civil Procedure Rules.
Thus, all newly established District Courts across the country have facilities for the Court Connected Alternative
Dispute Resolution. This is in line with the commitment of the Judicial Service to improve citizens’ access to
justice and give them options in resolving disputes.
The ADR Week of the Court Connected Alternative Dispute Resolution (CCADR) Programme is celebrated
three times during each Legal Year. It offers an opportunity for the ADR Directorate of the Judicial Service
to inform the general public of the existence of ADR within the court system, so they can take advantage
of it in seeking justice.
In addition, a “Mass Mediation Exercise” is conducted throughout the country within the ADR Week to
afford court users the opportunity to resolve their disputes through the use of ADR mechanisms.
There are currently Regional ADR Secretariats with Regional Coordinators and supporting staff and about
One Hundred and Thirty-Two (132) courts connected to the ADR Programme, comprising 33 Circuit Courts and 99 District Courts.