The President of the Ghana National Association of ADR Practitioners (GNAAP), Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, has called for the immediate allocation of resources to address the critical deficiencies in court infrastructure in the country.

In a statement to mark the 2025 ADR Week, Daniel Owusu-Koranteng said the government must act decisively to enhance judicial infrastructure in Ghana, as it is necessary to improve access to justice.

"Even as GNAAP is commending the government of Ghana and the Judicial Service, we are using the occasion of the ADR Week to call on government to make substantial investment in court infrastructure to provide conference room facilities and offices in our courts for mediation sessions," the statement said.

The theme for the 2025 ADR Week is “Building the Pillars of Justice through Commercial Justice ADR.”

Below is the full statement

Statement by the Ghana National Association of ADR Practitioners (GNAAP) to mark the ADR Week

It is an established fact that conflict exist in all areas of human interaction and every conflict has the potential to escalate to cause maximum harm to society and human activities if not managed and resolved.

It is no more a matter of debate that litigation through our court system had not achieved the objectives of peace building and restoration of relationships among others.

In addition, the expensive and time-consuming nature of the court system had choked the courts with cases and that has become a disincentive for the use of the courts to resolve conflicts.

Admittedly, the court system is still very relevant in cases that require adjudication for resolution of conflicts.

ADR has become a preferred means of conflict resolution in business circles, family issues, conflicts relating to land among others.

The increasing patronage of ADR by many people of diverse professional and social backgrounds give credence to the positive influence of ADR in addressing conflicts and contributing to peace building in our national life.

We commend the government of Ghana and the Judicial Service of Ghana for instituting the ADR Week which is devoted to raising national awareness on the importance of ADR by educating the public to know and use the court-connected ADR mechanisms to resolve conflicts through consent agreements between parties in conflict who had resorted to court litigation.

The theme for the 2025 ADR Week which is, “Building the Pillars of Justice through Commercial Justice ADR”, reflects the focus of ADR Direction to build a strong foundation for ADR practice in Ghana for efficient and speedy resolution of conflicts in the business sector.

We commend the Chief Justice and the Judicial Service for selecting a theme that would make ADR part of the agenda of creating a conducive atmosphere for businesses to operate in an environment of peace to promote local businesses and attract foreign investments.

Even as GNAAP is commending the government of Ghana and the Judicial Service, we are using the occasion of the ADR Week to call on government to make substantial investment in court infrastructure to provide conference room facilities and offices in our courts for mediation sessions.

Confidentiality is an important ethical requirement in conflict management, and it smacks of unprofessionalism when mediators are compelled to hold mediation sessions in places which do not create the right atmosphere for confidentiality to reflect the dignity and importance of ADR practice.

ADR professionals who have volunteered to undertake court-connected ADR practice are making huge sacrifices in the course of their work and government must increase the allowances of these peace-loving and committed people who have dedicated themselves to work towards peace building in all spheres of our national life.

We wish to congratulate the Chief Justice, our esteemed judges, staff of Judicial Service, our hardworking and dedicated court-connected mediators for working together to ensure that ADR becomes the preferred choice of parties in conflict. We wish the Chief Justice, the Judicial Service, and all mediators a successful ADR Week celebration.

May the celebration of the ADR Week rekindle our resolve to work hard to make ADR a preferred choice for resolving conflicts with our business partners, in our families and in all aspects of our economic, religious and social lives.

BY: Daniel Owusu-Koranteng
President of Ghana National Association of ADR Practitioners(GNAAP)

VPO/AE