The Legal Aid Commission of Ghana last year, resolved 5,535 disputes out of 9,133 cases, through Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms out of court, representing a 61.2% closure rate.
In 2019, a total of 5,448 out of 7,971 cases were resolved through ADR processes, especially mediation.
Mr Sylvester Nyarko Mends, Head of Administration at the Commission, in an interview with ADR Daily in Accra, described ADR as the most effective means of resolving the numerous cases reported at the Commission.
He explained that out of 1,456 court cases it received in 2020, only 115 were settled in the courts, adding that ADR gained a significantly high settlement rate.
The resolved case count through ADR, he noted, could have been drastically higher had the Commission had to more ADR practitioners.
“Currently, we have as little as 34 lawyers working across the nation in 32 district offices located in the Greater Accra, Ahafo, Bono, Bono East, Eastern, Upper East, Upper West, Ashanti, Eastern, Volta, and Western Regions,” Mr Mends added.
He therefore, called on lawyers and ADR practitioners to join in assisting the Commission in resolving more disputes and court cases through ADR mechanisms.
“Additionally, we hope a large number of legal practitioners and lawyers assigned by the National Service Board as well as lawyers and ADR practitioners who can devote some time each year to participate in the activities of the Commission to assist with the work load,” Mr Mends appealed.
“I hope future legal practitioners and lawyers would understand the immense benefit the Commission brings to the less privileged in society, and offer their services to the Commission when they are called to the bar,” he added.
He also called on the government to commit more resources, particularly infrastructure and vehicles, to enable the Commission to execute its mandate more effectively.
By Fred Gadese-Mensah / www.adrdaily.com
