Records from the Judicial Service indicate, that one hundred and seven courts in the country are connected to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

It is expected that all District and Circuit Courts, will be connected to the ADR Programme by the end of this year.

A Kumasi Supervising High Court Judge Justice Kofi Akrowuah, disclosed this at the launch of the Hubs Arbitration and Mediation Rules in Kumasi.

The Ghana ADR Hub is a one hundred paged booklet containing rules governing the Arbitration and Mèdiation of ADR in Ghana.

The arbitration rules are carefully crafted provisions that ensure that proceedings carried there are effective and efficient, and lead to enforceable awards.

The ADR programme was introduced into the court system in 2005 and has since become the preferred choice to some court users who seek expeditious, flexible and affordable justice.

It was also to reduce the backlog of cases in the court and to sensitize the general public to the use of ADR in seeking redress.

The Supervising High Court in Kumasi, Justice Kofi Akrowiah, said data available indicate, that 981 cases were settled out of 2158 cases referred to ADR, representing 45 percent settlement cases.

He urged Lawyers to encourage their clients to seek for out of court settlement or ADR instead of resorting to court.

The Chairman of Ghana ADR hub, Michael Gyan Owusu, outline challenges facing the ADR hub.

An ADR practitioner, Senyo Adjabeng explained the background leading to the establishment of ADR.

The ADR hub is to create a Pan African Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism that provides reliable and integrity-driven resolution services, in accordance with international best practice.