10-Member Governing Board For ADR Centre Sworn Into Office

A ten-member Governing Board for the Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution has been sworn into office at the Law House in Accra.

The Board, which is chaired by Kwesi Austin, was inaugurated by the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Justice Srem Sai.

Speaking at the ceremony, Justice Srem Sai said government remains committed to providing the necessary funding to enable the Board to deliver on its mandate, but charged members to also explore sustainable funding sources for the Centre.

He noted that although the Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution was established under the ADR Act, 2010 (Act 798), it is yet to become fully operational. The Act, he explained, provides a legal framework for dispute resolution through arbitration, mediation and customary arbitration.

Justice Srem Sai stressed the critical role of traditional authorities in justice delivery, describing the new Council as a bridge between customary and formal justice systems.

“This Council is a transmission between the chiefs and the formal sectors. We cannot do away with chiefs and the formal structures don't also always sit perfectly with chiefs. The job of this Council is to find a way to be the transmission point between really customary ways of resolving disputes and also what the known formal ways of resolving disputes are,” he stated.

The Board, which will serve a four-year term, comprises Kwesi Austin as Chairman, Jose Nikawu, GBA President Efua Ghartey, Edem Ama Busia, Kenneth Thompson, Dr. Zakaria Selemana, Austin Gamey, Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah, James Agyenim-Boateng and Executive Secretary Dr. Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi.

In his remarks, Board Chairman Kwesi Austin acknowledged the huge responsibility placed on the team and pledged to build a fully functional ADR Centre that will complement Ghana's justice system.

He observed that Ghana’s justice system has for decades been heavily reliant on litigation, despite long-standing discussions on alternative dispute resolution which culminated in the passage of the ADR Act in 2010.