Use Common Fund to refurbish courts – Chief Justice

Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, Sophia Akuffo, has called for portions of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) to be used in renovating dilapidated courts in the country.

This, she said, will ensure smooth delivery of quality justice in the country.

She made the call yesterday as part of her three-day working visit to the Upper East Region.

“We are going to have a holistic approach to address the dilapidated courts in the country. So we will try and at least begin a programme of serious rehabilitation, renovation, proper maintenance and even sometimes replacement of our courts. We are coming with an arrangement with the administrator of the district assembly common fund so that, they make sure that, part of that fund if not all of it, is spent on building new courts in districts without courts and where there are, and in a mess, that those district courts are refurbished.

“It is my hope that, by the time that my term ends, we would have completed a significant number of constructions, refurbishment, rehabilitation and repairs of our courts.”

She added that judges will soon be required to adopt the use of technology to aid their work.

“From the districts courts through to the hierarchy of courts, judges would need to adopt the use of technology in the adjudication and delivery of justice, because we do see cases which have taken so long before reaching the Supreme Court, you wonder whether there is any value met by the litigants. Judicial outcomes must add some value to the people who come to the courts and many times, the timeliness of delivery of justice is key.”