Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, President of the Ghana National Association of ADR Practitioners (GNAAP), says the requirement for the appointment of management of institutions in the country should include vital knowledge of conflict resolution.
According to him, a good knowledge of conflict resolution by a head of institution provides efficient operation and coordination of the organisation.
His argued that conflict existed in every area of human endeavour, including, but not limited to, the church, priesthood, schools, politicians, chiefs, intellectuals, workers, public servants, media practitioners, and couples.
Mr. Owusu-Koranteng was speaking at the Institute of Paralegal Training and Leadership (IPLS) 2023 graduation ceremony of Professional Executive Master in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADA) held in Accra on Saturday, April 29, 2023.
He said the promotion of ADR was important as most cost effective, time saving and a peaceful method of managing conflicts in every human interaction.
“I have not regretted that I made the sacrifice to have a professional training in Alternative Dispute Resolution, because the professional training in ADR has influenced my worldly view, shaped my understanding of conflicts and equipped me with the human management and conflict resolution skills,” he asserted.
The GNAAP urged the grandaunts to make use of their training in understanding conflict, how to undertake conflict mapping and analysis, how to de-escalate conflicts, and the use of a broad spectrum of conflict resolution mechanisms among others.
“A good ADR professional is required abiding by the ethics of the profession and maintaining very high standard of professionalism and integrity. As ADR professionals, your work will expose you to a lot of private and very confidential information of disputants in the course of managing conflicts and your qualities of confidentiality, neutrality, honesty would be put to test,” he urged.
Peter Apuko Awuni, Rector of IPLS, reiterated that ADR had been adopted in many countries complimenting traditional litigation, which appears adversarial in nature.
“The benefits arising out of ADR over the traditional litigation includes privacy, assisting parties to voluntarily comply with agreements, providing a healthier method of resolving disputes, assisting the courts by reducing the backlog of cases, financial and emotional relief to parties, lower cost compared to the cost of litigation and thereby making justice more accessible to a wider range of people, empowering parties due to its flexibility,” he said.
The Rector wished the graduants luck, as they proceed to be inducted in May into the Ghana National Association of ADR (GNAAP) to participate fully, learning and sharing, contributing to building a peaceful Ghana for economic development, more especially as Election 2024 is just by the corner.
