Emelia Nkrumah
Accra, Mar. 8, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Wednesday stated that the government has embarked on the construction of 120 courthouses with accommodations for judges across the country.
The move, he said, was to support effective and efficient justice delivery in Ghana.
Delivering the State of the Nation address to Parliament in Accra, the President pointed out that many of the courts across the country were not fit for purpose and did not provide suitable facilities for the efficient administration of justice.
“The inadequacy means that people have to travel long distances to gain access to courts.
“As someone who for years earned my living as a practising lawyer, I have first-hand experience of the unacceptable state of courthouses around the country and I am glad to inform the House that we are resolving this problem.
“For the first time ever, we have the happy situation of purpose-built courthouses with accommodations that are waiting for judges to be appointed to put them to use,” the President said.
Out of the 120 courthouses, 60 had already been completed, whilst the others were at various stages of completion.
President Akufo-Addo disclosed that the construction of six new Regional High Courts with judges’ residences was also ongoing, with three already completed and commissioned, and others scheduled to be finished by April 2023.
The President in October 2022 commissioned a new, modern Court of Appeal complex in Kumasi, together with 20 townhouses and a guesthouse to serve as permanent residences for Court of Appeal Judges based in Kumasi, who are mandated to handle Appeals from the Northern part of the country.
Also, 210 vehicles have been distributed to all judges in the Supreme, Appeal and High Courts, and Lower Courts.
GNA