ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
We must be guided by the ethics, regulations and indeed ideals of our calling and never for a moment falter from our purpose, which is to administer justice without fear, favour or fraudulence.
For my part, I pledge to remain a champion of the Service and of the men and women, such as those gathered here, to procure the best conditions and environment necessary for us to do our work.
I thank you again for your attention.
May God bless you and may He crown all our efforts with success.
REMARKS OF HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE GERTRUDE ARABA ESAABA SACKEY TORKORNOO, 15 TH CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA On the occasion of investiture into the Office of Chief Justice 12 th June 2023 Your Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, (PROTOCOLS) It is with utmost humility and a sense of deep obligation to the nation that I stand here today to respond to the remarks of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana.
On this solemn occasion of being entrusted with leading the Judiciary, the third arm of Government pursuant to article 125 (4) of the 1992 Constitution, I receive the responsibility with commitment to give of my utmost to the Republic of Ghana.
I thank Your Excellency for nominating me for this responsibility pursuant to article 144 (1) of the 1992 Constitution.
I thank the Council of State for favorably considering my nomination, and I thank the representatives of the people of Ghana in Parliament, for unanimously approving my nomination to this high office.
As the 15th Chief Justice of this great Republic since the independence of Ghana in 1957, the 27th Chief Justice since the formal judicial system was established with the enactment of the Supreme Court Ordinance of 1876 after the revocation of the 1853 Supreme Court Ordinance that established the Supreme Court of the forts and settlements on the Gold Coast, and the third woman Chief Justice, I am well aware that I stand on extremely tall shoulders.
From Chief Justice Sir Aku Korsah in 1957, the Judiciary of Ghana has been led by erudite judges who established Ghana’s justice sector as a bastion of stability in different eras of nation building – from the early years of dismantling colonial domination and building of truly national institutions led by Ghanaians after 1957, to the disruption of democracy between the first Republican Constitution of 1960 and the fourth Republican Constitution of 1992.
The strength of their leadership is evident from the fact that notwithstanding what type of political governance Ghana has been in, there has been no break-down of the justice systems of our country.
As we have progressed as a nation, our constitutional arrangements have assured that the various groupings of our country can be heard, seen, and accounted for in political change, the building of social cohesion, economic prosperity and freedom of association.
Article 125(1) of the 1992 Constitution provides that ‘Justice emanates from the people of Ghana and shall be administered in the name of the Republic by the Judiciary which shall be independent and subject only to this Constitution’.
The Judiciary therefore is a trustee of the carefully curated laws of Ghana, ranging in priority from the Constitution, enactments and statutes made by Parliament, orders, rules and regulations made under power conferred by the Constitution, the existing law before 1992, and the common law of Ghana, which includes the rules of customary law of all the peoples of Ghana.
In our role as trustees, we must be and are accountable for our stewardship of how we administer the body of laws handed to us through the evolution of rule-making bodies and norm development models of our country.
Your Excellency, it is clear that the Chief Justices of this country have carried the mandate and obligation placed on the institution.
In the recent past of the last two decades, I can refer to the leadership of Chief Justice Edward Kwame Wiredu, who is credited with the creation of the fast track courts as a pilot to enhance efficiency in justice delivery, and the setting up of what is now known as the Judicial Training Institute for career development of Judges and staff.
Between 2003 to 2007, Chief Justice George Kingsley Acquah, worked hard in the judicial reform agenda, which had by then become a global pursuit for many judiciaries.
What has come to be known as the Lord Woolf civil justice reforms in England and Wales from 1999 are a well known example of this tidal wave of judicial reforms.
Under Chief Justice Acquah’s watch, he started the establishment of specialized courts to bring enhanced attention to different needs of the investment and other communities and vigorously pursued the automation of courts and capacity building of the Judiciary and Judicial Service staff.
He also commenced the mainstreaming of alternate dispute systems with specific Rules of Court.
He was followed by Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood whose dynamic and engaged leadership not only expanded the scope of specialized courts, but deepened the applications of ADR throughout the trial courts.
She expanded the concrete facilities of courts by superintending the development of the facility currently known as the Law Court Complex, touted then as the largest court facility in Africa.
In the time of her stewardship, the judiciary experienced a focus on increasing the quality of scholarship in the work of Judges, and accountability in the administration of the Judicial Service of Ghana.
The two and half year administration of Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo saw the feat of a Chief Justice who took time to visit every single court in all the regions of Ghana to undertake an audit of the state of our courts.
That grueling circuit led to the development of the blue print and prototype design for the construction of modern courts that is now being implemented.
Between 2019 and 2023, Chief Justice Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah tirelessly escalated that foundation by superintending over the construction of more than half of the 200 new courts that were assessed as needed to serve the needs of Ghanaians.
In addition to this roll call of work, the Rules of Court were overhauled for all levels of court between 1996 and 2004.
They continue to be reviewed regularly.
This work, beyond aligning the Rules of Court with the 4th Republican Constitution of 1992, has one over-arching objective.
To introduce efficiency and effectiveness into case management with strategic options that allowed courts to speed up adjudication without comprising the independence of judges as disinterested arbiters of the litigation process.
Over the same period of the last two decades, the automation of courts has morphed into the digitalization of court processes that allow for electronic filing, electronic case distribution, creation of electronic dockets and the conduct of virtual trials.
So Your Excellency, if we have been so busy, why are Ghanaians still feeling the pain and toll of inefficiency in delivery of court services?
If the leaders of the judiciary have acknowledged that they owe Ghanaians a duty to remedy the inefficiencies, ineffectiveness of litigation and taken strong steps to reduce the hard and tough terrain of doing business in Ghana that comes from Interminable court proceedings over investments in land, estate settlements, business transaction disputes, why do these conditions persist?
Your Excellency, it is easy to see why these problems persist.
Despite the length of time spent over-hauling Rules of Court to allow deeper efficiency into court operations, the introduction of specialized courts and the applications of technology, many courts continue to use the laborious inefficient models of taking evidence in manuscript and managing administration in the old pedantic ways.
After two decades of tackling the issue of automation, only 62% of courts use computers as part of their work.
And computerization is only the first level of automation of court processes.
After acquiring electronic devices to capture records of courts, the registries and offices of stakeholders must be networked in order to allow for the next level of automation.
This is a national burden, and we are slowed down by any sluggishness in the nation’s digitalization drive.
Currently, our records show that only 26% of courts are networked, and only 12% of courts have been brought into the bracket of full automation in their operation through digitalization of their processes.
The statement ‘ change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong ’ is attributed to the author and blogger Mandy Hale.
It is in this context that as much as the Judiciary appreciates the level of investment being made in the physical structures of new courts, we have also taken steps to review all rules of court to enhance their operation and application in digital arenas.
Your excellency, distinguished guests, it is clear to me, as an active player in all the different facets of the reform initiatives referred to above since I joined the Judiciary in 2004, that to speed up the efficiency and effectiveness of our systems, so much more is needed for and from the Judiciary than determination and avowed purpose.
There is a need to expedite the national digitalization agenda to allow for easier networking of all stakeholders.
There is a need to increase the budget of the judiciary to allow us room to expand our infrastructure in the automation and digitalization agenda, because undoubtedly, the efficiency of court processes and administration is assured with more deliberate use of technology.
There is a need to increase our budget to make learning, library and operational resources available to all judges and staff in order to enhance the speed with which both judicial and administrative decisions are made and communicated to stakeholders.
There is the need for the judiciary to make itself accountable by increasing transparency in the process and output of our judgments and decisions through real time publications of decisions, especially when it comes to decisions on land ownership, and other areas of law that affect the economy and social stability of the country.
There is a need to harness the attention of external stakeholders in the justice delivery relay, for improving excellence in their own services, in order that they do not compromise the quality of justice.
These external stakeholders include auctioneers, valuers, surveyors, bailiff services, lands commission, and other registries for assets which invariably become relevant in the cross hairs of litigation.
As Chief Justice therefore, I wish to express my determination to relentlessly seek the support of the legislature in matters of the budget of the judiciary and the support of both the executive and legislature for accelerated infrastructure in technology, and for innovative models of doing business with technology.
The expansion of electronically accessed library services will require support.
An increase in the percentage returned to the Judicial Service from our internally generated funds will greatly help to accelerate the work that needs to be done.
The raising of facilities to create world class centers of judicial learning, and exhibition of historical accounts around the development of justice systems will be a target for revenue creation.
The production of manuals, practice directions, and resources to assist litigants in our courts, will not only increase the efficiency of support services but also reduce untoward abuse of administrative and judicial discretion, while raising financial resources for the Judiciary.
Equally important is the close listening ear of government to the financial needs of the Judiciary and Judicial Service Staff, and I crave all these facilities to assure the smooth acceleration of our services to the nation.
I also crave the support of all stakeholders in justice delivery, so that we can build together, build faster, and build stronger.
Your Excellency, the statutory duties of the Chief Justice stretch beyond the administration of justice to include oversight of legal learning as chair of the General Legal Council and the Board of Legal Education.
The development of democracy has placed greater attention on the learning of law.
I stretch a humble hand to the Bar, institutions of legal learning, legislature and all stake holders to assist with interventions for raising standards of excellence in the training of lawyers.
For the danger of bad lawyering lies not only in losses for those represented, but also decreased values in the nation’s economy.
In assuring of quality legal learning, we can only win together.
I close these remarks with deep appreciation for the nation-wide goodwill, support and prayers I enjoyed during the period of my nomination and approval to this high office.
I particularly thank the Kings and Chiefs, and communities of Ghana, who expressed delight to see me serve this nation in this role.
I thank my family and friends, near and far who cheered with each step, friends in the law who encouraged me in the journey, and beloved church leaders who held my hand in prayer.
Last, and most deeply, I thank Almighty God who has made today a reality, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
May God bless our homeland Ghana, and continue to make our nation great and strong.
ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE LADY CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, JUSTICE GERTRUDE ARABA ESAABA SACKEY TORKORNOO, ON THE OCCASION OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE DISTRICT COURT, BAATSONAA, ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2023 My Lords, Judges and Magistrates, District Chief Executive, Tema West Muncipal Assembly – Hon.
Anna Adukwei Addo Municipal Cordinating Director - Mr.
Emmanuel Kungi Nii Gbetse II – Representative of the Nungua Mantse Niimei, Naamei, Members of the Bar, Distinguished Invited Guests, The Media, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon, Today marks an important occasion in the history of Baatsonaa and I am pleased and privileged to be here.
I am particularly pleased because this has been my neighbourhood since 1992.
And it is exciting for me that it is the first court that I am inaugurating as Chief Justice.
I thank all of you who have made it to the occasion.
I am also particularly grateful to the many men and women who have contributed in various ways to make today possible.
Our country, like all nations, needs to make the law central to its development agenda.
While the law may predominantly be recognized as an instrument of regulating human behavior, and dispute resolution and ill conduct, it is actually the primary tool for achieving peace, order and progress in human societies.
This makes it a necessary feature of any evolving society that wants to preserve peace and foster prosperity to make law central to its mode of organizing society.
Our very survival as a society therefore depends on the system of justice that we make to regulate us.
It is also important to note that any system of justice, for it to be effective, must be accessible to all citizens regardless of rank or social standing, physically within the reach of those who need it and free of doubts about its integrity.
Since independence, we have worked hard to fulfill all three of these conditions.
Our efforts, tireless and continual, continue to increase the quality of justice, though there is so much more that needs to be done.
Today, we are instilling in the Judicial Service higher standards of ethical conduct.
We are demanding accountable service and integrity from all our officers around the country.
As we have grown as a society, we have engineered ways in which we can assist the less well off in our society to access justice through less complex rules of court, automation of court services and provision of ADR facilities.
Through judicial reforms, we are facilitating greater access to justice for the most vulnerable, including the physically challenged and those already incarcerated.
I speak specifically of courts located in prisons, and ADR centers in courts around the country.
Today, we celebrate another way in which we expand the frontiers of justice in our country with the inauguration of the District Court, Baatsonaa.
This project is part of the nationwide construction of one hundred Courthouses programme embarked by Government in 2020 to improve judicial infrastructure.
This modern Court facility has adequate office space for the various Court functions, washrooms for Staff and Court Users, Male and Female Cells, Solar power, a standby Generator, a Borehole to provide sustainable water supply for the washroom and electric fencuing to boost security.
The facility has a dedicated space for Court connected ADR.
This court right here in Baatsona, opens a most welcome avenue for the people of this bustling commercial and residential hub, to have justice whenever they need it.
Through this Court, we will be able to ensure that fewer people have to resort to extra-judicial avenues of seeking redress and resolving disputes.
Through this Court, we can allow more and more people to see justice being dispensed at close range and thus build confidence for businesses and investment in property.
It is my hope that this court is able to do all that and more.
And that will depend, in large measure, on the people who come to work here and come to access justice here.
I urge the staff of the Judicial Service of Ghana, whose work will give meaning to the construction of this court, to see themselves as ambassadors of the Service and of the very concept of justice itself.
Most importantly, understand that the Judicial Service is a public service and we are servants of the public.
This should impose on you a responsibility to be honest, fair and transparent in all their dealings with the citizens who come here to seek justice.
Let all who come here feel welcome and reassured that the law is here to work for and with them.
Let no one feel discouraged or reluctant to use the law.
We must ensure that we are not only fair and just, but are seen by all to be so, so that the people who patronize our services will feel confident in seeking redress from this building and so increase the peace and stability of our country.
That is the only way in which we can ensure that the justice system operated from this building achieves the purpose for which the Constitution arranged it.
I also call on all to ensure that the building is well maintained and not allowed to fall into premature ruin and disrepair.
We must maintain what we have and look after what is entrusted to us.
Years to come, I believe that we will gather again to inaugurate a much larger edifice as Baatsonaa becomes more and more prosperous.
Let me express my gratitude to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for the successful implementation of the project and the District Assemblies Common Fund and its Administrator, Mrs.
Irene Naa Torshie Addo Lartey, whose drive, enthusiasm and resources have made it possible for us to be here today.
I also wish to thank Fedems Limited (Project Consultants) and Messrs Sino Africa Development Limited (Contractor) for working very hard to deliver this project according to schedule.
Our gratitude goes to the Tema West Municipal Assembly and the Traditional Authorities for making land available for this project.
The people of Baatsonaa thank you.
Ghana is grateful.
Posterity will remember your efforts.
ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE LADY CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, JUSTICE GERTRUDE SACKEY TORKORNOO, ON THE OCCASION OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE CIRCUIT COURT, ADA, ON THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2023 My Lords, Judges and Magistrates, The Member of Parliament – Hon.
Comfort Cudjoe Doryoe Municipal Chief Executive, Ada District Assembly – Hon.
Sarah Dugbarkie Pobee Mankralo of Ada State (Representing the Paramount Chief Nene Agudey Obitchere III) Niimei, Naamei, Members of the Bar, Distinguished Invited Guests, The Media, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning.
It gives me great pleasure to be here with you this morning to inaugurate this beautiful, brand new court house, the Circuit Court, Ada for the people of Ada.
I thank all the distinguished personalities herein present for joining us to share in this significant occasion.
A vibrant, effective and efficient justice delivery system is a strong defence against instability, oppression and abuse in any community.
Here in Ghana, we can say with certainty, that the resilience of our justice system has contributed in no small way to our ability to hold our nation together and grow steadily in our democracy.
Under Article 125 of the 1992 Constitution, the Constitution directs that though justice emanates from the people of Ghana, it is to be administered by the Judiciary.
Ensuring an acceptable justice delivery system has remained a continual challenge for the Judiciary and Judicial Service of Ghana.
As much as we have worked at improving the legal and constitutional framework within which we operate; as much as we have sought to obtain high standards of personal integrity among all areas of the legal service roles, we have also had to deal with inadequate physical infrastructure.
With a rapidly increasing population, the advances in literacy and consistent opening up of our economy, the Judiciary has needed to catch up with other areas of the governance.
As more and more people have needed the aid of our courts to resolve conflicts, enforce agreements and seek redress, the need for more infrastructure has been emphasised.
The result of inadequacy in resource infrastructure is delays in securing justice efficiently and effectively.
This inevitably affects confidence in the judicial process with all the attendant negative effects that come with it.
In an increasingly globalised world where we compete with other countries for trade and investment, a legal system that is unable to resolve business disputes rapidly can and is indeed, an unbearable weight on the capacity of a nation to attract and retain investment.
If we cannot assure our citizens of speedy resolution, they might choose other tools and means of resolution that would have entirely adverse effects on the nation's stability and cohesion.
Consequently, over the last two decades, the Judicial Service of Ghana has embarked on extensive reforms aimed at correcting these shortfalls.
Access to justice at the grassroots level has been one of the key objectives.
A significant component of these reform initiatives has been the construction and refurbishment of courts and the installation of modern ICT equipment in order to assist with speeding up court trials.
The computerization of our courts, while nowhere near complete, gives us an idea of how technology can help us perform our duties better and more efficiently.
As Chief Justice, it is my personal vision that we harness the tools of technology to make justice more accessible to our citizens, especially women, the physically challenged and other vulnerable groups.
By putting our house in order, we are gearing up to play an even more significant role in the nation's quest for peace, progress and development.
Without a doubt, any court house should be decent and comfortable, and provide a working environment conducive to productivity, reflecting the authority and dignity of not only the Judiciary, but the State.
Court houses are national assets and are reflective of the importance a nation attaches to the rule of law and good governance.
As an institution, we are concerned about the environment in which court business is conducted and the safety of our Judges and Magistrates, Staff, the Lawyers and the Public who patronize our services.
It is for this reason that as an institution, we are heartened by Government’s implementation of a nationwide construction of one hundred Courthouses programme which commenced in 2020, of which this project that we are inaugurating today, is a part.
This modern Court facility has adequate office space for the various Court functions, washrooms for Staff and Court Users, Male and Female Cells, Solar power for essential load, standby Generator, and Borehole to provide sustainable water supply for the washroom and electric fencing to boost security.