The third edition of the national Mediation Expedition held this year on Afadjato, Ghana’s highest mountain, has ended with a call on mediators to be highly professional in their work.
Organised by ADR Daily and the Gamey and Gamey Group, with support from Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG), the annual expedition is aimed at promoting the use of mediation in resolving disputes, especially in the business sector.
More than 60 professionals in diverse fields from various organisations participated in the event which equipped them with practical knowledge and skills for dispute prevention and resolution.
The two-day event, which had the theme, “The relevance of Mediation in addressing Labour Disputes,” is part of ADR Daily’s corporate social responsibility programme to enhance awareness creation for increased use of ADR mechanisms in Ghana.
This year’s event was characterised by mediation training sessions, simulation exercises, a presentation on court-connected mediation, a mediation clinic for the community, and mountain hiking.
The participants included managing directors, HR managers, union leaders, bankers, lawyers, ADR practitioners, medical and security officers, real estate developers, religious and traditional leaders, church administrators, lecturers, private business operators, accountants, and other professionals.
Togbe Hotormaho Amedzake, Chairman of the Court-Connected Mediators Association, who made the call, reminded mediators of the critical need for upholding the tenets of the profession.
“We must be impartial and act professionally at all times in order to win the trust and confidence of parties at mediation,” he said.
Togbe Amedzake, who witnessed mediation simulation exercises conducted by 2022 graduands from the Gamey and Gamey ADR Institute at the expedition, lauded the quality of the simulations and performance of the graduating students.
He commended the Gamey and Gamey ADR Institute for the quality of its ADR training and urged the participants at the expedition to utilise the lessons and skills gained at the event.
As part of his presentation, Togbe Amedzake presented copies of the Judicial Service’s Court-Connected ADR Practice Manual to the graduating students.
Earlier at the opening session, Diana Asonaba Dapaah, Deputy Attorney-General & Minister of Justice urged Ghanaians to adopt mediation to effectively resolve disputes in all sectors.
According to her, the benefits of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), particularly mediation, remain enormous and therefore should be taken utilised for the amicable settlement of disputes, including labour disputes.
Ms. Dapaah, in her speech, read for he,r explained that because mediation has been given solid legal recognition in Ghana’s legal framework, with many state institutions mandated to use mediation as a dispute resolution mechanism, the public need to use it more, rather than engaging in court litigation.
Mr. Austin Gamey, Chief Executive Officer of the Gamey and Gamey Group, in his remarks, urged the public to seek the services of professional Mediators to help in resolving disputes.
He assured that the Group would through the Gamey ADR Institute, continue to build the capacity of ADR practitioners by providing quality training services to enhance the growth of the ADR industry in Ghana.
