In the quest to have commercial disputes resolved amicably and expeditiously in Ghana, the Ghana National Chamber Of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) and the Gamey & Co ADR (GCADR) Centre, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to help the business community to effectively overcome disputes.
The MoU marks a new beginning for businesses in Ghana as it would help them to access Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, particularly mediation and arbitration, to resolve disputes rather that engaging in court litigation with its high attendant costs and delays.
Described as a landmark initiative, the collaboration between the two institutions comes at a time many enterprises continue to be negatively affected by acrimonious court litigation or arbitration proceedings abroad.
As a country’s dispute resolution system is a key factor in assessing the ease of doing business, the Chamber is optimistic the ADR initiative would significantly enhance business growth in the country.
The signing ceremony, which took place at the monthly meeting of the Chamber’s Greater Accra Chapter in Accra, paves way for members of the Chamber and all other businesses to submit their disputes for amicable resolution.
Nana Dr Appiagyei Dankawoso I, President of GNCCI and Mr Austin Gamey, Chairman of the GCADR Centre signed the MoU for their respective organisations. It was observed by Mr. Mark Badu-Aboagye, Chief Executive Officer of GNCCI and Mr Saeed Musah-Khaleepha, Executive Director of GCADR Centre.
Nana Dankawoso I, in his remarks, described the signing as a special historic moment, indicating that the Chamber has for a long time desired to overcome the acrimonious and expensive way of litigating business disputes.
With the ADR intervention, he said the Chamber raises its status to meet international standard, as many business chambers across the globe have ADR centres that facilitate the resolution of commercial disputes.
“This will benefit the whole country,” he said.
Mr Gamey, for his part, commended the leadership of the Chamber for the zeal in building the partnership, and assured the Chamber and the business community in general, of the deployment of professional arbitrators and mediators to handle their cases.
For a start, he said the Centre would deploy 40 professional mediators and arbitrators specialised in diverse business fields, for the partnership.
According to him, the Centre would not only facilitate the resolution of disputes, but help firms to prevent commercial disputes in the first place by ensuring that their business agreements are drafted appropriately.
Justice Emile Short, a former Commissioner of Human Rights and Administrative Justice, and a senior member of GCADR Centre, lauded the initiative, saying mediation assures businesses of very efficient and win-win resolution of commercial disputes.
“Mediation also ensures that relationships between business partners are sustained after the resolution of the dispute,” he said.
By Edmund Mingle/adrdaily.com
