A residential complex for Court of Appeal Judges in the Ashanti Region, among other infrastructure projects, has been completed and commissioned by President Akufo-Addo for use.
This, according to the President, is in an effort to bridge the housing deficit associated with the judiciary.
The newly built, ultramodern Kumasi Court of Appeal complex, along with twenty (20) townhouses and a guest house, will serve as the permanent residences for Court of Appeal Judges based in Kumasi, who will be tasked with handling appeals from the northern region of the country.
In addition to the court complex, the President also hinted at constructing some one hundred and twenty (120) courts and one hundred and fifty (150) bungalows across the country, of which he mentioned some have already been completed.
Explaining the motive for this, the President indicated that, in the course of his first term in office, the government took note of the inadequate number of courts in various parts of the country, resulting in citizens travelling long distances to gain access to courts.
He cited, for instance, that “there was no Court between Adjabeng and Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region, nor was there a Court between Adum in Kumasi and Asante Bekwai or Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.
“I was also informed that some judges lived in insecure housing, and were subject to abuse and threats after their judgements,” he said.
“That is why, in my Message on the State of the Nation, on 9th March 2021, Government, through the Ministry of Local Government and the District Assembly Common Fund, has commenced, in an unprecedented initiative, the construction of ninety (90) courts with accompanying accommodation for judges across the country, to help address the
problem of inadequate court infrastructure,” he added.
He added that through the efficiency and ingenuity of the Administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund, Hon. Irene Naa Torshie Addo, “we [government] are, in fact, constructing one hundred and twenty (120) courts and one hundred and fifty (150) bungalows and not the ninety (90) that was contemplated earlier.”
According to the President, seventy percent (70%) of these projects have already been completed.
Projects under construction Six new Regional High Courts are also being constructed in the newly created regions, i.e., Ahafo, Bono East, North East, Oti, Savannah and Western North.
Three of the Courts, that is those in Ahafo, Bono East and Oti Regions, have been completed and are ready for commissioning.
The other three, that is those in North East, Savannah and Western North, which are at eighty percent (80%) completion, will be ready for commissioning by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
Following the completion of about 70% of the projects and the commissioning of the residential complex for the Court of Appeal judges in the Ashanti region, the President declared all other projects completed.
“With the commissioning of this residential complex here, in Kumasi, and the Magistrates Court in Toase later this afternoon, I deem all the completed projects duly commissioned.”
He, thus, charged the Chief Justice to take over and start posting officers to commence work with immediate effect.
The President believes that this substantial investment in infrastructure will motivate the judiciary to work even harder to advance the rule of law and justice in the country.
He pledged to continue to support the judiciary during his term as a result.
“We will continue to implement policies to advance the rule of law, and, thereby, reinforce the confidence of the people, and shore up our nation’s reputation as a country governed by the rule of law,” he said.
He also acknowledged people who were instrumental in the execution of these projects.
“The efforts of Chief Justice Anin Yeboah, his predecessor, Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo, the former Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, and Hon. Irene Naa Torshie Addo, Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, must be warmly commended,” he added.
Source: The Independent Ghana