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
Source: judicial_service_of_ghana
Date: 2023-08-04

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. The facility also has a dedicated space for Court connected ADR, and is equipped with DTS (Direct Transcription System) to facilitate the adjudication process. With the inauguration of this Circuit Court, it is my expectation that the justice needs of the Ada East District and its surrounding communities will be served in a robust manner as cases will be disposed of with a greater sense of urgency through the complement of human effort with ICT. All officers of the Judicial Service are also to ensure that this building and the facilities in it are regularly maintained so they can continue to deliver optimum service to justify the significant investment that has been made by the Ada Municipal Assembly. For this newly constructed Circuit Court to function productively, administrative Staff must effectively assist the Circuit Judge with competence, diligence and integrity. To this end, I urge the Staff who would be working in this Court to exhibit a high level of professionalism in the discharge of their duties. I would like to remind Staff that most citizens and stakeholders who patronize our services are often stressed by the issues that bring them to court. They need assistance and that is why they turn to the courts for justice. The service we provide is a public good that is carefully crafted by law to serve the nation, deepen peace and stability, and ensure prosperity. I urge you to ensure that this court presents a new and friendlier face of justice in the Ada Municipality. In concluding my address, I would like to place on record once again, our 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. Our gratitude also goes to the Ada Municipal Assembly and the Traditional Authorities for making land available for this project and to all our other distinguished invited guests for taking time out of their busy schedule to be here with us today. It is my pleasure at this juncture to declare the Circuit Court, Ada duly inaugurated. May this Court be a blessing to all, especially its users and may they find and experience true justice and peace through this court. I thank you all for your attention. Prev Next