Day: March 1, 2024

Benjamin Obeng Antwi, Public Relations lead for the Electricity Company of Ghana in the Volta Region, has been honoured by the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA).

The honour comes as he exits the Region on transfer to the Ashanti Region, and was extolled for exceptional delivery of his role.

Mr. Antwi took charge in the Region in February 2019, and worked to enhance public engagements of the Company.

The citation was presented on the behalf of the Association by Mr. Lambert Atsivor the Administrator, and in the presence of Madam Christiana Jatoe-Kaleo, the General Manager of the ECG in charge of Volta and Oti Regions.

‘The Volta/Oti Regional Chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association presents to you this citation in recognition of your exemplary and dedicated service as the Public Relations Officer of the ECG in the Volta Region.

‘The Association and the entire media fraternity in both Volta and Oti Regions acknowledge and appreciate your professionalism and collaboration, which has significantly enha
nced the relationship between the media and the ECG-Volta,’ the citation, signed by Emmanuel Agbaxode, the GJA-Volta Chairman, said.

Mr Antwi, receiving the honour, greatly appreciated the role of the media in Volta in shaping the growth of the Region.

He thanked the journalists association for the spirited support to the Company, especially in promoting its outlook as the hub of excellence.

‘When you come to the Volta Region as a PR person, before you excel, you need the media fraternity – the GJA. I’ve never seen media supporting the ECG like the way you do in the Volta Region, such that there are times that for some of the issues, I even stay back and they go ahead and communicate it for me because they understand the issues.

‘And so if we don’t face much negative press in the Region, it’s because of the support they have offered to me and I am very grateful,’ the PRO said.

The PRO further attested to extra efforts by the media in the Region to project the company, and commended the General Manager fo
r the Region for making ‘a conscious effort’ to improve media relations further.

The General Manager, on her part, was hopeful the relationship would continue, and that the successor would build more upon the relationship and the successes.

Ms. Eunice Tweneboah-Kodua takes over as the new PRO.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Mandela Center International, an international NGO specialized in consultative status with the United Nations has demanded the immediate resignation of the Chairperson of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission (CHRC) Professor James Mouangue Kobila, from his duties for allegedly breaching of human rights ethics.

According to an official release from the said NGO, Mouangue Kobila is reported to have sexually harassed, threatened, blackmailed and defamed the alleged victim, Mrs. Nkouete Messiah Judith Espérance Epouse Kouobou Tsemo, translator-interpreter, executive at the CHRC and Chief of the President’s cabinet.

As a consequence of his act, the Mandela Center International and its international partners have decided to suspend all collaboration with the national human rights institution until the withdrawal of its current president.

They also reminded the Cameroon government of its obligations to respect, protect and implement the rights of all Cameroonians to dignity, without any restrictions.

Profes
sor James Mouangue Kobila was appointed Chairperson of the CHRC in February 2021 by President Paul Biya.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Mr Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, a Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, has inaugurated a GhC120,000.00 solar-powered mechanized borehole to provide potable drinking water for residents of Tanoano, a farming

community in the Sunyani Municipality.

With the inauguration of the facility, the more than 900 residents, mostly women and children would no longer walk long distances to fetch water from streams for domestic purposes.

KVMO, a German-based NGO, funded the cost of the facility and executed by the Forsports Foundation, a Sunyani-based NGO in partnership with the Tuah-Yeboah Foundation, a charitable organisation in Sunyani.

Mr. Tuah-Yeboah set up the Tuah-Yeboah Foundation to support and alleviate the plight of vulnerable people and communities in the Sunyani Municipality and beyond.

Hitherto, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) gathered the residents walked distances to share a stream with stray animals, a situation which exposed them to suffering from typhoid fever and other waterborne diseases.

Speaking
at the Inauguration, Mr Tuah-Yeboah said access to potable drinking water remained a fundamental human right, which nobody must be denied of and pledged his organisation’s commitment to supporting deprived communities in that regard.

He announced the Foundation and its partners would also extend solar power to the Tanoano Municipal Authority School to facilitate effective teaching and learning of ICT.

Mr Christopher Forsythe, the Founder of the Forsport Foundation, said the two organisations had planned to construct five boreholes in the municipality this year.

‘I am extremely happy the people of the Tanoano community now have potable drinking water,’ Dr. Eugene Litvinov, a representative of the KVMO stated.

Mr Hayford Kuma, the Assemblyman for the Nkrankrom Electoral Area, commended the Foundations and partners for the water project, and appealed for additional support towards the construction of a Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compound in the area.

The chiefs and people of the Tanoano
community later enstooled Dr. Litvinov as the Development Chief for his contributions to the development of the community.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Minister of public health, Dr Manaouda Malachie, has announced a nationwide polio response vaccination campaign which is aimed at strengthening the collective immunity of children under five (5) years of age. The vaccination campaign will run from the 1st to 3rd of March 2024.

According to the Minister of public health ‘this campaign is part of a synergy of strategies between the countries of the sub-region. Also, this campaign will provide different countries with an opportunity to strengthen their routine vaccination coverage by catching up with children aged 0 to 23 months who have missed one or more appointments in their usual vaccination schedule.’

Moreover, identifiable vaccination teams will be deployed to households, hospitals, schools, markets, worship places and other gatherings to administer two drops of oral polio vaccine to children aged 0 to 5 years.

It is the first national polio immunization campaign organized in the country this year after five cases of polio were reported in the capi
tal, Yaounde, by health officials.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The National Ambulance Service at Keta in the Volta region has urged the public to acquire some basic first aid techniques.to avoid preventable deaths and injuries during domestic emergency health situations.

These techniques would also enable the public to identify the various forms of injuries and emergency cases and the best methods to be used, to mitigate any unf

Mr Emmanuel Kordzo Tordzro, the Senior Emergency Medical Technician (SEMT), NAS, interacting with the Ghana News Agency during the Service’s first aid workshop for schools in the Keta Municipality, said the objective was to create awareness about basic means of supporting victims during emergency health situations.

He said the Service’s aim was to educate students in the various schools within the Municipality on some basic ways of providing pre-hospital emergency medical care to the sick and injured before getting them to the hospital or calling the Ambulance service.

Mr Tordzro said the workshop would also teach the students, teachers and
the public to acknowledge the Ambulance Service ‘Since we provide immediate and timely pre-hospital emergency care to the patients and transport them safely to the health facilities.’

He urged all to acquire the first-aid techniques to help sustain the life of patients before calling the ambulance service for attention.

Mt Tordzro commended the Keta branch of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) for championing the workshop to educate the schools on emergencies.

He charged other schools, institutions, churches, individuals, corporate organisations and the public to rely on the services of the Ambulance Service for education and in all emergencies for free.

Madam Linna Elinam Bensah, the Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) at Keta, said a total of seven schools that were part of NCCE’s ‘Civic Educate Club’ within the Municipality took part in the workshop for the first quarter.

They included Ketasco basic A and B, Bishop Herman A and B basic, Dzelukope E.P and R.C
basic, Ola Girls School, and Keta R.C basic.

She urged the public to support the Commission in various forms to help extend the workshop to other areas like the Ghana Fire Service and Ghana Police, among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency

At least 13 people died in a road accident that occurred on Thursday February 29 at a location known as Yonkélé in Maroua, Cameroon, L’Oeil du Sahel reported.

The victims were passengers aboard a minibus, according to witnesses present at the scene.

The accident, which resulted in the loss of multiple lives, has shocked the local community. Reports indicate that the minibus lost control, leading to the devastating crash.

Rescue operations were immediately deployed to assist any survivors and recover the bodies of those who lost their lives.

Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident to determine the exact cause.

This incident serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of poorly maintained roads and the importance of adhering to safety measures while on the road.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Ethiopia became a symbol of African aspiration and independence as a result of the Battle of Adwa, Professor of the History of Africa and the African Diaspora in the UK, Hakim Adi said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Professor recalled that the Battle of Adwa did not only defeat the Italian Army, but also secure Ethiopia’s independence.

‘Ethiopia became the only independent African country and the only African country to defend this independence through military might or overpowering the European army,’ he elaborated.

Moreover, the professor added that it became extremely important for the whole of Africa and for Africans around the world, because the black people around the world looked to Ethiopia, as it showed them that Europeans could be defeated and were not superior.

The people in Ethiopia were so organized to defend the European power, as a result of which ‘Ethiopia became a symbol of African independence in the Battle of Adwa,’ the professor recalled.

Moreover, he illustrated that Ethiopia
became an independent symbol, particularly for the Pan-African movement, that is to say the movement of people of Africans and people of African descent all around the world, struggling for African independence and for the rights of Africans all over the world.

He said ‘It is an extremely important battle. And you find that organizations in other parts of the world took the name Ethiopia, even in this country (Britain), in Britain, we had an Ethiopian progressive association that was formed just a few years later. People look to Ethiopia as a symbol of inspiration and a symbol of independence for all Africans,’ Professor Adi pointed out.

He added that the Victory of Adwa demonstrated that if people are united that all kinds of things are possible.

‘Adwa is one of those examples that show the importance of unity; there are other problems because the big powers that are all contending in Africa try to disunite the continent, try and put one country against another, try to create disruptions within countri
es, ‘ Professor Adi elaborated.

The Victory of Adwa has proved that the unity of a country and its people greatly contribute to the unity of our continent, the professor underlined.

‘We need that unity at the country level, which will enable a stronger unity at continental level and otherwise shows the value of that unity. If you could unite a country, then there are many things that you can achieve.’

The Battle of Adwa, which took place on March the first 1896, epitomizes successful resistance against colonialism and it was the most unprecedented battle in the history of Africa in the 19th century.

The battle took place during what historians have called the scramble for Africa, that is to say the contention between all the big European powers to carve out and divide the African continent. That scramble led to the division of Africa among the big powers.

The victory of Adwa victory is a living hard won battle made by Africans that spearheaded the struggle of Africans and black people throughout the wor
ld for freedom and independence.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Bible Society of Ghana (BSG) will on Sunday, March 10, launch a new version of the Bible in Ho.

The Bible, known as Diglot Bible (bilingual), comprises both the Ewe and English languages.

Mr Joseph Ireland, the Regional Manager of BSG, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Ho, said the launch would take place at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPCG) Dela Cathedral at Ho Kpodzi.

Right Rev. Dr. Lt. Col. Bliss Divine Agbeko (Rtd), Moderator of the General Assembly of the EPCG, would be the main speaker at the event whilst Dr Archibald Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister, is the Special Guest.

Mr Ireland said the BSG was mandated to make the Bible available, accessible and affordable to all manner of people irrespective of language.

He noted that the Diglot Bible was easy for cross referencing and would also ease the inconvenience of carrying both English and Ewe Bibles at the same time.

The Bible was easy to use as the Ewe version of every chapter followed immediately the English one.

He
expressed the hope that the new Bible would attract a large patronage.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Minister of Planning and Development, Fitsum Assefa addressed the 6th session of the UN environment Assembly (UNEA6) which is being held in Nairobi, Kenya from 26 Feb to 1 march 2024.

In sideline of UNEA6, the Minister also engaged in a number of bilateral and Africa regional environmental events, according to Ministry of Planning and Development of Ethiopia.

In her statement during the UNEA6 high level segment held today the minister informed the participants about the unwavering commitment of Ethiopia in addressing the triple planetary crises of our planet namely climate change and biodiversity loss.

Fitsum shared Ethiopia’s successful achievements in addressing the aforementioned challenges through its Green Legacy initiative where it manages to plant 32.5 billion tree and other agroforestry seedlings in the last five years through mobilizing 25 million of its citizens annually since the launching of the initiative in 2019.

The Minister also said that Ethiopia’s extended commitment for the unified voi
ces of Africa in international environmental negotiations through her capacity of President of Africa Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) which will run for the 2024 and 2025.

Fitsum expressed her commitment to closely following up the Africa Group of Negotiators (AGN) and to give necessary guidance to the group for a unified voice as a continent.

In her afternoon engagement during the UNEA6 today Fitsum successfully convened the AMCEN bureau meeting as of her capacity of being AMCEN President.

Outstanding issues were discussed and put forward on the next steps including deciding to convene AMCEN special session on land degradation, desertification and drought in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on 2-5 September 2024.

The session also envisaged the preparations of Africa on UNCCD COP16 which is to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and other international engagements such as UNFCCC COP29.

The Minister held bilateral meetings with representatives of Mauritania, Algeria, Morocco and Executive Secretary of UN
Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD) and discussed outstanding bilateral agendas on her national capacity and being AMCEN President.

In the respective bilateral meetings, the two parties agreed to closely work towards the common environmental agenda and enhancing the environmental protection agenda including through signing an MOU across different thematic areas.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Mr Philip Tengzu, a Chief Reporter with the Wa office of the Ghana News Agency is among 30 journalists and media practitioners selected from five West African countries to participate in the sixth edition of the Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking Fellowship.

The 30 participating journalists and media practitioners of the fellowship, which spanned from March to August 2024, were drawn from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and The Gambia.

DUBAWA, a West African independent verification and fact-checking project, an initiative of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), is organising the fellowship with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

It sought to amplify media literacy and empower journalists and media practitioners to champion information verification at the grassroots communities, which were targeted constituencies for political, social, and cultural misinformation and disinformation.

The six-month fellowship was preceded by a four-day intensive fellowship tra
ining to enable the participants appreciate the concept of fact-checking and information literacy before the commencement of the fellowship.

Some local language media practitioners and journalists also participated in the training.

Speaking at the opening of the four-day virtual training, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CJID, indicated that journalists played a crucial role in promoting democracy, good governance and development in West Africa.

He advised the participants not to allow themselves to be used as agents for spreading misinformation and disinformation.

Mr Akintunde Babatunde, the Programme Director of CJID, explained that the fellowship started in 2019 with five fellows but had since churned out many fact-checkers through the fellowship over the past five years.

Aside from training journalists and media practitioners on fact-checking through the fellowship, DUBAWA also trained journalists and media practitioners in Nigeria and some other West African countries includi
ng Ghana to introduce them to the business of fact-checking and information verification.

Experienced fact-checkers and researchers took the participants through series of presentations during the four-day training.

Mr Idris Akinbajo, the Managing Editor of the Premium Times in Nigeria, who took the participants through ‘Accountability Journalism and the Role of the Media in West Africa’, explained that West African journalists ought to be concerned about the unstable democracy in the sub-region.

‘Journalism and democracy have a symbiotic relationship,’ he observed, indicating that independent and good journalism could only thrive in a state of democracy and good governance and vice versa.

The participants were also taken through topics including: ‘Understanding the Information Disorder Ecosystem’; ‘Media and Information Literacy (MIL) as a Response to Information Disorder’; ‘Fact-checking: Practice and Methodology’; ‘Claim Discovery’; and ‘Google Fact-checking Tools’ among others.

Source: Ghana News Ag
ency

The Victory of Adwa is a hard won battle in 1896 during the reign of Emperor Menelik II. Following the declaration pronounced by the emperor that the sovereignty of Ethiopia was endangered by Italian Aggression, Ethiopians from four corners of the country marched to Addis Ababa and Were Ilu.

Peasants, women and volunteers, artisans and others from all backgrounds and ethnicities left for Addis Ababa and Were Ilu to fend off Italian aggressors who had the support of the colonial powers in the Scramble for Africa.

The victory of Adwa is commemorated annually on March 2 in Ethiopia.

Exactly 128 years ago, more than 100,000, multi-ethnic, barefooted and well equipped but courageous Ethiopian irregular soldiers led by Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taitu and 12 commanders drawn from across the country marched for a historic face off with invading Italian Army equipped to the teeth with modern firearms at the hills of Adwa.

The victory of Ethiopian youth army at the Battle of Adwa on March 2, 1896 is a histor
ic landmark in the history of the black population across the world, particularly in Africa. It ignited two important phenomenological incidents in Ethiopian and African history including the decolonization of African and the continental vision of Pan Africanism.

The victory at the Battle of Adwa immediately resonated across the world in complete negation of the invincibility of the diplomatic, political and military prowess of the European colonialists and their cry wolf of ‘civilizing mission.’

Every year on March 2, Ethiopia and Africa mark the victory at the Battle of Adwa, in which Emperor Menelik II mobilized youth army of artesian, women and volunteers from all walks of life to repel Italian aggressors which received the blessings of the colonial powers in the Scramble for Africa in line with the resolutions of the Berlin Conference (1884-1885.)

Professor Richard Pankhurst, in his book “Reflections on the Battle of Adwa,” highlights the enduring significance of the Ethiopian triumph at the Battle of
Adwa, which holds a prominent place in the collective memory of the African continent. This historic event stands as a remarkable testament, celebrated for over a century, and holds the unique distinction of being the sole secular occurrence in Africa’s extensive chronicles to garner such prolonged recognition.

A phenomenon such as Adwa is a complex nexus of various historical processes with wide ranging but as yet not fully explored meanings. Adwa does not only reflect its time, but that it also transcends it, and that the aspirations and meanings that flow from it have been a powerful constitutive force in the rise and evolution of modern African Pan Africanism. Indeed, it is an event that awakened the hope for emancipation and the struggle against colonialism and racism among Africans in the colonies and in the Diaspora.

Black people across the globe celebrate one historical asset that occurred 128 years ago in a small town in northern Ethiopia. The Battle of Adwa was a rocket booster or a launching pad
for the inception of Pan Africanism. This historic battle and the subsequent victory registered by irregular army of Ethiopia resonated across the world as the first victory against a colonial power ever to be won by an African country.

History proves that the victory at the Battle of Adwa was not a victory only for Ethiopia. Although the Battle was fought in Ethiopia, the entire global peoples share this outstanding victory against a European colonial power that was thought to be invincible.

It must be noted that the founding fathers of the former OAU were certainly inspired by the loft goals of pan Africanism. Kwame Nkrumah, who was undoubtedly one of Africa’s foremost freedom fighters, nationalists, writers, and thinkers, that influenced a generation of Pan-African nationalists and freedom fighters, and the founding member of the Organization of African.

He foretold that ‘It is clear that we must find an African solution to our problems, and that this can only be found in African unity. Divided We fall;
United, We Stand” become one of the greatest forces for good in the world.

Will Africa live up to these expectations? The current trend is in the right direction but certainly there are huge challenges ahead before the lofty goals of Pan Africanism are achieved.

Today, the African Union (AU) has creatively designed Agenda 2063.

Ethiopia was and is indeed a forerunner in promoting the loft goals of Pan Africanism and the decolonization of the African continent by supporting major African liberation fronts like ANC.

Moreover, in the sphere of integrating Africa, Ethiopia has already gone a long way in connecting Africa by aviation, railway line, road transport, telecommunication and supply of renewable hydro-electric power for the neighboring countries.

The aspirations of the victory at the Battle of Adwa needs to be implanted in the African youth who are expected to continue to light up the torch of Pan Africanism. The spirit of Adwa will certainly continue to reverberate in the current pan Africanist bat
tle against abject poverty, climate change and pursue common destiny.

In this regard, Ethiopia has recently inaugurated a state-of-the-art memorial to honor those who fell at the Battle of Adwa. The Adwa Victory Memorial honors the bravery and resilience of Ethiopians in the face of colonial powers who labeled the continent Africa as dark.

In addition to its historical significance, the Victory Memorial also serves as a symbol of pride, unity, and resilience for the Ethiopian people and Africa at large. It is a place of remembrance, reflection, and education, preserving the memory of the Battle of Adwa and its enduring legacy for future generations.

Victory at the Battle of Adwa is indeed symbolic of how an irregular army of Ethiopia defeated an European army equipped to the teeth only because Ethiopians were united in purpose to ensure their freedom and territorial integrity. The lesson from Adwa was loud and clear, united Africans can overcome any challenge facing them.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Ghana Wheelchair Tennis Federation (GWTF) in collaboration with Zion Management Africa Limited (ZMAL Sports Agency) has began a three-day Bowl Ghana wheelchair tennis championship at the Accra Sports Stadium Tennis Court.

The event scheduled for 9:30 am to 4:30pm each day, is made up of 25 wheelchair tennis players with seventeen males and eight females.

The male includes; Ebenezer Nti, Ibrahim Omaa Sadick, Isaac Tagoe, Daniel Laryea, Razak Nuhu, Emmanuel Amorbire, Richmond Essel, Samuel Buabi, John Afadzi, Maclean Dzidzienyo, Martin Essuman, Emmanuel Okyere, Bernard Yawson, Sheriff Dini, Evans Allotey, Samadu Sofo, and Yaw Boateng.

The female players were; Stacy Konadu Mensah, Bridget Nartey, Fatimatu Moro (Accra), Wasila Baba, Patricia Nyamekye, Fati Umar, Agnes Chebam, Zinabu Issah.

In an interview with the GNA Sports, Dr. Henry Larbi, Coordinator of the GWTF said winners of this competition would be supported by the GWTF to participate in one of the international (ITF) tournaments this year.

He
urged participants to be disciplined and focus on the game as it would bring changes to some lives.

Mr. David Derhnick Kofi Chief Executive Officer, (Zamack) said the aim was to bridge the gap between the abled and the disabled in the sport.

He said, ‘our aim is to promote the physical challenged people interested in the game of and we want to assist the federation to do that’.

‘Sometime when I pass through the traffic light, I see some of the physical challenged on the streets, I see a lot of talents in them, but they lacked the needed support,’ he added.

He said he would be touring Ghana for after the competition to form a sports academy for the physically challenged.

The competition is sponsored by Special Ice Mineral Water, Multi Pro Ghana (Indomie Ghana), Malcom Group of Companies, Delay Food, EYEL (Eau De Parfum), The Siblings Project, Nhyikaesi Wellness Hospital, Quality Assurance, Devina Herbal Clinic, Kpogas Furniture, Tennis Foundation Ghana and Japan Motors Trading Company Limited.

Source: G
hana News Agency

The Judicial Service of Ghana, has since 2005, successfully settled 36,191 cases representing 47 percent of the 77,264 mediated cases through its Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system.

The Central Regional Office of the ADR handled a total of 1,665 cases in 2023 with 534 of the cases, representing 32 percent, settled.

In all, the region has 17 ADR connected courts consisting of two circuit courts, and 15 district courts.

Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah, Justice of the Court of Appeal, announced this at an ADR sensitisation durbar at the Jubilee Park in Cape Coast.

The durbar is a prelude to the ADR Week’s mass mediation exercise slated from Monday, March 18 to Friday, March 22 across the country.

It is being held on the theme: ‘Building the Pillars of Justice through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).’

The ADR Week sensitization train took off from Accra on Monday, February 26 and made the first stop at Kasoa, continued to Ofankor, Awutu, Winneba, Apam, Ajumako, Mankessim, Saltpond, Elmina and
now Cape Coast.

Generally, the celebration affords the ADR Directorate of the Judicial Service, the opportunity to announce to the public, the presence of ADR within the court system and communities for them to take advantage of it.

The ADR process had created space and the necessary environment for people, particularly the poor and vulnerable to meaningfully access justice.

Justice Mensah-Homiah, said the ADR concept had served as a complement to the traditional courts, substantially due to the mass mediation exercise.

During ADR Week, parties who have cases pending in courts connected to the ADR programme would be provided the opportunity to have their cases settled through mediation.

‘Mediators are assigned to each court to help parties resolve cases that have been referred to ADR by Judges and Magistrates.’

Justice Mensah-Homiah urged court users to take advantage of these process to ensure expeditious disposal of cases pending in courts across the country.

‘After 19 years of implementing the conne
cted ADR programme, it has demonstrated verifiable success.

‘It’s our expectation that ADR becomes not just a complement to the justice delivery architecture, but a major plank, which would be the go-to option for those seeking justice as long as the nature of the cases admit ADR,’ Justice Mensah-Homiah assured.

However, she cautioned some few bad nuts in the justice delivery system who sometimes sidestep their ethical and legal mandates to engage in misdeeds for their personal interest to stop it.

She encouraged all disputants and the public to report such unprincipled mediators to the ADR Directorate or Complaints Units of the Judicial Service for the appropriate action to be taken.

She revealed that mediators were paid allowances by the Judicial Service from the public purse, consequently, they were not to receive any payments, whether in cash or in kind from disputants.

‘Mediators are precluded from going for ‘locus Inspection,’ they cannot also write rulings on the merits of a case. These are the pr
eserve of trial Judges and Magistrates.’

A mediator, she indicated, lacked any power to re-examine a decision upon the execution of the terms of settlement.

‘It is not the duty of mediators to police parties to a dispute to ensure compliance. I’m bringing this out so that unsuspecting disputants do not fall to any unscrupulous mediator,’ Justice Mensah-Homiah said.

Justice Kofi Akrowia, a Supervising High Court Judge, attributed the challenges with delivery of justice in Ghana to inadequate number of courts, Judges and Magistrates and automation in courts.

He urged the Government to facilitate the work of the Judiciary by providing more funds and on time to ease justice delivery in the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency