President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has cut the sod for the start of work on a new Court of Appeal complex and permanent residential facilities for judges in Kumasi.
At the sod-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo said that, with only one Court of Appeal structure located in Accra: “It has meant that appellate proceedings in the northern sector of our country have been slow, resulting in a considerable backlog of cases requiring the attention of the Court of Appeal.
“Indeed, the itinerant Court of Appeal, moving from Accra to sit in Kumasi, Tamale, Ho, Koforidua and Cape Coast, delays the adjudication process. The associated financial implication of this arrangement has, over the years, been of grave concern in the dispensation of justice,” he said.
He added: “The establishment of a permanent, modern Court of Appeal complex in Kumasi will help improve the justice delivery system for the northern sector of the country. With the collaboration of the Ministry of Local Government and the District Assemblies Common Fund, 20 townhouses and a guesthouse are being built to be used as permanent residences for Court of Appeal judges based in Kumasi, who will be mandated to handle cases in the northern part of the country.”
Eight-month timeline
With the project set to be completed in eight months, appeals from Ahafo, Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, the North East, Northern, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West and Western North Regions will be heard conveniently within a much shorter period.
Recounting an announcement he made in his State of the Nation Address, the president said that the government, acting through the Ministry of Local Government and the District Assemblies Common Fund, in an unprecedented initiative, has commenced the construction of 90 courts with accompanying accommodation for judges across the country to help address the problem of inadequate court infrastructure.
“The government 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.
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