Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, has commended the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Irene Naa Torshie Addo, for contributions of her outfit towards the development of the judiciary.
Speaking at the commissioning of a Residential Complex for the judiciary in the Ashanti Region recently, Mr Dame said the Judicial Service has got its fair share of infrastructure in all the regions of the country through the support of the Common Fund Secretariat.
“It will be woefully neglectful not to pay tribute to the vision and dedication of the dynamic and indefatigable Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, Mrs Irene Naa Torshie Addo Lartey, under whose guide and vision has led to the realisation of this vision.
“Through the dynamism of the current Administrator, part of the Fund has been deployed for the financing of this project after having been approved by Parliament,” he said.
He indicated that through her intervention, there has been the construction of over ninety court houses and one hundred and fifty bungalows for judges in the country.
At the same programme, President Akufo-Addo also hailed Irene Naa Torshie Addo for her efficiency and ingenuity in government’s initiative to provide court infrastructure across the country.
The hard work she put in, he said, has seen the 90 courts and accompanying accommodation for judges originally contemplated by the government translates to 120 courts and 150 bungalows.
According to him, since taking over the reins of governance, the NPP administration has introduced a number of policy measures to help break the technology gap in the administration of justice.
He said “We launched the e-justice system designed to leverage technology in the delivery of justice and we are also addressing the challenge posed by the inadequate number of courts in various parts of the country resulting in citizens travelling long distances to gain access to court and thereby weakening the Rule of Law.
“I assure you that we will do more as demanded by the Chief Justice and we will continue to implement policies to advance the Rule of Law and thereby restore the confidence of the people and shore up the nation’s reputation as a country governed by the rule of law,” he stated.
According to him, Ghanaians have resolved to build a united nation grounded on democratic values and attachment to the Rule of Law and stressed it is the desire of the state to maintain this dream even at these difficult times.
Ghana, he said, has come a long way towards realising this goal and expressed confidence that with the spirit of reconciliation, fairness, integrity and hard work, the best days of the country lie ahead.
He said, “Together we are laying the platform for the evolution of a new Ghanaian civilization that will give true meaning to the foundational values of freedom and justice on which the nation was conceived.”
President Akufo-Addo averred that during his first term in office the government took note of the inadequate number of courts in various parts of the country.
Citing examples, he indicated that there is no court between Adjabeng and Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region, and in Kumasi there is also no court between Adum and Asante Bekwai and Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.
Judges, he said, are also compelled to live in insecure houses and subjected to abuse of threat after judgments that they deliver.
According to him, this informed the basis for the pledge he gave during the state of the nation address on 9th March 2021 that government through the Ministry of Local Government and the DACF commenced an unprecedented initiative to construct 90 courts with residential accommodation for judges across the country help address the problem of inadequate court infrastructure.
President Akufo-Addo expressed gratitude to his majesty the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the entire Asanteman for the immense support they gave to the project.
