Chief Justice (CJ), Gertrude Araba Essaba Sackey Torkornoo, yesterday underscored the importance of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in Ghana's commercial justice system.
She noted that ADR mechanisms, such as mediation and arbitration, had gained popularity due to their less-adversarial approach, which promotes peace and reconciliation among disputing parties.
Speaking through Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah at the launch of ADR Week in Kumasi, the Chief Justice highlighted ADR's benefits to include faster and more efficient dispute resolution, reduced burden on courts, and preservation of relationships between parties.
"ADR mechanisms are less adversarial and, thus have the ability to reconcile parties and preserve relationships beyond the dispute management process...Our purpose is to promote and uphold peace among disputing parties. The disadvantages of litigation are not something we take pleasure in," The Chief Justice noted.
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She, however, stated that many businesses and individuals were unaware of ADR's benefits or hesitant to move away from traditional litigation.
To address this, the Judiciary, Chief Justice Torkornoo said was intensifying efforts to educate the public and train ADR professionals.
The Chief Justice further announced that the Judiciary had already started engaging stakeholders in the business community, including cocoa cooperative societies, traders' associations and savings and loans institutions on ADR.
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Chief Justice Torkornoo said that Ghana's Commercial Courts and pre-trial settlement conferences had successfully resolved cases efficiently, using procedural rules such as Order 58 of CI 47 and the District Court Rules, CI 59.
Moreover, she noted that Court-Connected Alternative Dispute Resolution (CCADR) had also contributed to economic stability by allowing negotiated settlements.
Key Highlights of ADR Week 2025 include 138 ADR-connected courts nationwide to host mass mediation sessions.
The Judiciary would also engage with media outlets to promote ADR awareness, with court users, judges, and magistrates participating in sensitisation programmes, to promote ADR understanding and adoption.
