Ghana’s Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, is urging the general populace to make it their duty to challenge provisions in the 1992 constitution as citizens and not only when they have an interest to protect.

Citing the landmark case of Martin Kpebu verses the Attorney General in which the applicant without any interest in the case got the Supreme Court to remove from the countries statute books, the Law that made some offenses in Ghana non bailable, Justice Akuffo called on people of Ghana to follow after the example of Kpebu to help develop constitutional democracy in Ghana.

Addressing attendees of the GIMPA Law Conference under the theme; “The Judiciary and its Contribution to Ghana after 60: Reflecting on the Past, Analyzing the Present, Preparing for the Future, held at the GIMPA Executive Conference Centre, the lady Chief Justice said several constitutional Law actions brought before the Supreme Court has been the shaping force of the Judicial System of the State and in order to develop it further, many more such actions will help guarantee quality Justice delivery in Ghana.

Commencement of Electronic Filing at the Court

The lady Chief Justice in her speech announced that the Judicial Service will as from next month begin the system of electronic filing of cases through out the country’s court. This she says will help reduce the amount of human involvement in the process of filing of cases in the courts by Justice Seekers.

Connecting the Courts

Justice Sophia Akuffo intimated that it is her considered Vision during her time in office to make sure that she builds a system that will electronically connect all courts in the country to each other for the purposes of record transmission. The vision she says will connect the District Courts, Circuit Courts, High Courts, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court to each other. This she hopes to achieve before she retires on the 20th of December 2019.

What Would be discussed?

The two day conference is expected to draw leading brains both at the BAR and the Bench to discuss a host of topics on the theme for the conference. In all, eight (8) panels will be constituted over the two day period to discuss various topic assigned to them and to make recommendations for the future of the Judiciary in Ghana.

Panel one which would be moderated by the President of the Ghana Bar Association, Benson Nutsukpui will have the former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights & Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Justice Emile Short, retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice V.C.R.A.C Crabbe and Senior Partner at Reindorf Chambers, Fui Tsikata pitching their ideas on the theme for the conference, “The Judiciary and its Contribution to Ghana after 60: Reflecting on the Past, Analyzing the Present, Preparing for the Future”.

Under the moderation of Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Jones V.M. Dotse, the second panel comprising four legal luminaries will address four sub topics under the broad topics of Ethics, Politics and the Judicial Process. Justice Patience Mills-Tetteh, Justice of the High Court of Ghana, Will look at Ethics, Justice and the Judicial Process. Professor Raymond Atuguba, Associate Professor, University of Ghana School of Law will speak to Politics and Judicial Decision-Making: Case Studies from Ghana’s Supreme Court, Dr. Dominic Ayine, Former Deputy Attorney General & Deputy Minister of Justice, Ghana will consider Judging the Judge: Ethical Considerations in Judicial Appointments in Ghana and Ms. Maame A.S. Mensa-Bonsu, PhD Candidate, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, Will speak on the subject; Foreign Footprints on our Constitution.

Panel three will be Moderatored by Mrs. Betty-Mould Iddrisu, Former Attorney General & Minister of Justice, Ghana and they will focus on the Courts, Human Rights and Jurisdictional issues. Mrs. Gloria Ofori-Boadu, Lecturer, GIMPA Law School will speak on the subject topic: Gender based violence in Ghanaian courts: A Critical Assessment. Mr. Tuinese Edward Amuzu, Lecturer, GIMPA Law School will focus on Giving meaning to “justice without barriers” in Ghana, and Mr. Martin Kpebu, Legal Practitioner, Fugar & Company will trade his ideas on Improving Enforcement of Human Rights in Ghana: A Comparative Approach.

Moderated by Mr. Victor Brobbey, Lecturer & Head of Private Law Department, GIMPA Law School, panel four will see Professor Victor Essien, Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham Law School, United States, speak on Sovereignty and Subsidiarity: The Ghana Judiciary as the Bulwark Against Incipient Judicial Imperialism by African Regional Courts, Mr. John Darko, Lecturer, GIMPA Law School, Will address the topic; The Judiciary’s Development of Environmental Law Jurisprudence since 1957, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, Lecturer, GIMPA Law School & SJD Candidate, Fordham Law School, United States & Ms. Maame A.S. Mensa-Bonsu, PhD Candidate, University of Oxford, United Kingdom will speak on the Contribution of the Judiciary in the development of Ghana’s Constitutional Jurisprudence.

Mrs. Eudora Koranteng, Principal, EHQ Corporate Services & Legal Consultancy will moderate panel five.

The Speakers of this panel will include Mrs. Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, Former Attorney General & Minister of Justice, Ghana and Partner, Lithur-Brew & Company. She will speak on ICT & the Judiciary, Dr. Samuel Tweneboah-Koduah, Lecturer, GIMPA School of Technology will focus on Prisons Process Automation: A Transformational approach to Criminal Justice Delivery and Service Improvement, Mr. Ismael Andani Abdulai, Managing Partner, Renaissance Law Consult & Adjunct Lecturer, GIMPA Law School will take on the topic “Taking the curent when it serves: Navigating Ghana’s Judiciary into the Digital Age”.

Ms. Maame Efua Addadzi-Koom, Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology & Mr. Ebenezer Adjei Bediako, Principal Research Assistant, Office of the Dean, Faculty of Law, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology will both discuss “Implementing An E-Justice System in Ghana: Prospects, Risks, Challenges and Lessons from best practices”.

Moderator of panel six, Professor Victor Essien, Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham Law School, United States will see Honourable Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, Majority Leader in Parliament, New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Honourable Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader in Parliament, National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Former Minister of Employment & Labour Relations, Will discuss Parliamentary Perspectives on the Judiciary.

Dean Lydia A. Nkansah, Dean, Faculty of Law, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology will moderate the seventh panel. Dr. Nightingale Rukuba-Ngaiza, Senior Counsel – Africa, Middle East & North Africa Practice Group, World Bank, Ghana will discuss “Automatic Recording of Court Proceedings to Promote Transparency in Justice Delivery: Lessons from Selected Countries”, Dr. Fructuose Bigirimana, Dean, Faculty of Law, INES Ruhengeri, Rwanda & Ismael Andani Abdulai Managing Partner, Renaissance Law Consult & Adjunct Lecturer, GIMPA Law School will look at “Access to Justice in a Changing World: A Comparative Study of Ghana and Rwanda”, Ms. Maureen C. Bessette, Resident Legal Advisor, United States Embassy in Ghana will discuss Plea Bargaining in the USA.

The eighth panel Moderated by Professor Henrietta J.A.N. Mensa-Bonsu, Professor of Law, University of Ghana School of Law & Director, Legon Centre for International Affairs & Diplomacy, Will have, Professor Paolo Galizzi, Clinical Professor of Law, Fordham Law School, United States & Visiting Professor of Law, GIMPA Law School speak on “Back to the Future: Fair Trial As Judges’ Tool to Promote Economic Growth & Development”, Mr. Yoofi Grant, Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Will take a look at Investment and the Judiciary, and Ms. Elaine Bannerman, Director, Policy Planning & Reform, Judicial Service of Ghana wi?l conclude the discussions by looking at the topic “Funding Quality Justice”.