Ghanaians Lack Trust in Courts, Consider Other Dispute-Resolution Avenues

22 December 2025
Afrobarometer (Accra)
By Lionel Osse Essima and Cheetham Nii Shidaa Mingle

Fewer than half of citizens think ordinary people can obtain justice in court.

Key findings

  • Half (50%) of Ghanaians say they are "not very confident" or "not at all confident" that ordinary people who are wronged can obtain justice in the courts. Only 47% express faith that citizens can obtain justice.
  • Economically well-off respondents are more confident than their poorer counterparts (54% vs. 42%-51%).
  • Fewer than half of respondents say they could probably find legal advice (47%) and afford to take a legal problem to court (37%), if necessary.
  • o Minorities think such a case would be resolved fairly (45%) and timeously (38%).
  • Only one-fifth (21%) say they are aware of legal-aid services that are available in their community.
  • A mere 3% of citizens say they would turn to a local court to resolve a legal problem. Most would look to other options, including the police (38%), an elder or traditional court or leader (30%), or a family member (9%).
  • About one-third (35%) of survey respondents say they trust the courts "somewhat" or "a lot."
  • More than four in 10 Ghanaians (44%) say that "most" or "all" judges and magistrates are corrupt, down by 5 percentage points compared to 2014.
  • Almost three-fourths (73%) of citizens say officials who break the law frequently go unpunished.
  • A smaller majority (62%) say people are "often" or "always" treated unequally under the law, while the same proportion (62%) believe that judges and magistrates "often" or "always" decide cases based on the influence of powerful people, rather than based on the law.
  • Eight in 10 Ghanaians (79%) say the president must always obey the laws and the courts, but fewer than half (47%) think he usually does so.
  • More than half (53%) of Ghanaians say the death penalty is a fair punishment for the most serious crimes, while 43% say it is never justified.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

Access to justice is a cornerstone of democracy; without it, citizens cannot fully enjoy their rights. In Ghana, the principle is enshrined in the 1992 Constitution and reinforced by human-rights instruments such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Maputo Protocol. The country ranks seventh of 34 countries in sub-Saharan Africa on the World Justice Project's (2025) most recent Rule of Law Index.

Ghana's Legal Aid Commission (LAC) is charged with providing legal-aid services to poor, vulnerable, and marginalised citizens (Nabila, Jengre, Kombian, & Nomo, 2022). Yet for many Ghanaians, justice remains out of reach: Citizens face barriers in the form of cost of legal services, distance to courts, and length of cases. There are fewer than 400 state attorney operating across the country, a number considered grossly inadequate by the attorney general given the volume of cases being heard. This shortage of public legal services contributes to extended delays in the judicial process, especially in rural communities (AdomOnline, 2025). In addition, the LAC's services are concentrated in major cities, limitin access for the poor and vulnerable in remote areas (Donkor, 2019).

Another challenge, according to Appeals Court Judge Angelina Mornah Domakyaareh, is that corruption in the judiciary has undermined public perceptions of the institution (GhanaWeb, 2020). Respect for the judiciary has also been hampered by "frequent 'unanimous' decisions pronounced by the Supreme Court in highly charged political and constitutional matters" (Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2024).

This dispatch reports findings from a special survey module on access to justice included in Afrobarometer's Round 10 surveys. Findings suggest that for many Ghanaians, access to justice remains more of a wish than a reality.

Fewer than half of citizens express trust in Ghana's courts and are confident that ordinary people can obtain justice in court. Majorities doubt that they could get a court case resolved fairly or timeously - or that they would be able to afford a case in the first place. Only one in five citizens say they are aware of legal-aid services.

Many Ghanaians see corruption and political influence as pervasive in the judicial system, and a majority say people aren't treated equally under the law.

A slim majority of Ghanaians support the death penalty for the most serious crimes.

Lionel Osse Essima Lionel is the assistant project manager for Anglophone West Africa and North Africa.

Cheetham Nii Shidaa Mingle Cheetham Nii Shidaa Mingle is an assistant research analyst at CDD-Ghana.

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2025 Afrobarometer. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.