The Court-Connected Alternative Dispute Resolution (CCADR) programme has extended its pre-week engagement activities to stakeholders in the Eastern Region, ahead of the annual CCADR Week slated for July 21 to 25.
Led by Her Ladyship Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah, Justice of the Court of Appeal and Judge with Oversight Responsibility for the CCADR, the outreach aimed to raise awareness and deepen stakeholder understanding of the benefits and processes involved in court-connected ADR.
Justice Mensah-Homiah and her team held dialogue sessions and institutional visits in Koforidua, engaging a broad range of stakeholders, including the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA), Cooperative Transport Union, Koforidua Technical University, SDA College of Education, the New Juabeng Traditional Council, local churches, banks, and civil society organizations.
She highlighted that Alternative Dispute Resolution offers an efficient, cost-effective, and less confrontational approach to settling disputes—particularly within sectors prone to frequent conflict.
Justice Mensah-Homiah explained that CCADR utilizes mediation, arbitration, conciliation, and negotiation to deliver timely justice while helping to ease congestion in the formal court system.
She added that CCADR Week is observed three times a year—in March, July, and November—to facilitate mass mediation of long-pending ADR-related cases in the courts.
Referencing Sections 72 and 73 of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459), and Order 58 Rule 4 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (C.I. 47), she urged the public to embrace ADR, stressing its accessibility and inclusive nature.
“We are here for everyone, regardless of your social background. Feel free to bring your ADR cases to us,” she assured.
Mr. George Boateng, Chairman of the Taxi Branch Number One of the GPRTU, commended the initiative, noting that ADR offers confidentiality and accessibility unmatched by traditional court processes. He also urged the public to engage the system responsibly and avoid abusing its provisions.
The pre-week engagement underscores the judiciary’s commitment to broadening access to justice and strengthening trust in community-based dispute resolution mechanisms.