President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has given assurance that his government will continue to invest in the judicial system to improve justice delivery in the country.
He indicated that his administration is constructing more courts and bungalows for judges across the country with 60 District Courts, 60 Bungalows for Judges, three new High Courts to be ready by October this year.
Speaking at the swearing in of 10 new High Court Judges at the Jubilee House in Accra on Monday, President Akufo-Addo announced that more will be done to make judges comfortable.
“60% of these courts and bungalows have been completed, and will be commissioned before the start of the legal year in October,” he added.
“Three Ahafo, Bono East and Oti Regions out of six new High Courts, which are being constructed for the six new Regions will be completed and ready for commissioning, again, before October.
“A new, modern Court of Appeal complex in Kumasi, together with twenty (20) townhouses and a guesthouse to serve as permanent residences for Court of Appeal Judges based in Kumasi, will be completed and commissioned in September”, he announced.
President Akufo-Addo added that, in addition to these, “210 vehicles were, earlier this year, distributed to all judges in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Courts and Lower Courts. These are all initiatives being undertaken by Government to strengthen the capacity of the Judiciary”.
Government, according to President Akufo-Addo, has taken note of the inadequate numbers of courts in various parts of the country, resulting in citizens travelling long distances to gain access to courts, and has decided to remedy this situation.
He indicated that government through the Administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund, is constructing 100 new courts and bungalows for Judges in all the 16 regions of the country.
They are broken down in the various Regions as follows –20 courts and 20 bungalows in Ashanti; 12 courts and 12 bungalows in Eastern; eight courts and eight bungalows in Greater Accra; eight courts and eight bungalows in Volta; eight courts and eight bungalows in Ahafo; seven courts and seven bungalows in Western; and five courts and five bungalows in Bono East.
The rest are five courts and five bungalows in North East; four courts and four bungalows in Oti; four courts and four bungalows in Western North; four courts and four bungalows in Central; four courts and four bungalows in Bono; three courts and three bungalows in Northern; three courts and three bungalows in Savannah; three courts and three bungalows in Upper East; and two courts and two bungalows in Upper West.
