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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut sod for the construction of on a new housing complex to serve as permanent residence for Court of Appeal Judges based in Kumasi.
Performing the ground breaking ceremony on Tuesday April 20, 2021, President Akufo-Addo noted that with only one Court of Appeal structure located in the heart of our nation’s capital, Accra, it has meant that appellate proceedings in the northern sector have always bogged down, resulting in a considerable backlog of cases pending hearing and review.
“Indeed, the itinerant Court of Appeal, moving from Accra to sit in Kumasi, Tamale, Ho, Koforidua and Cape Coast, delays the adjudication process. The associated financial implication of this arrangement has over the years been of grave concern in the dispensation of justice,” Nana Akufo-Addo said.
He continued, “The establishment of a permanent, modern Court of Appeal complex in Kumasi will help improve the justice delivery system for the northern sector of the country. With the collaboration of the Ministry of Local Government and the District Assembly Common Fund, twenty (20) townhouses and a guesthouse are being built to be used as permanent residences for Court of Appeal Judges based in Kumasi, who will be mandated to handle cases in the northern part of the country.”
With the project set to be completed in eight (8) months, it will mean that appeals from Upper West, Upper East, Savannah, North East, Northern, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Western North and Ashanti Regions will be conveniently heard within a much shorter period.
Recounting a statement he made in his Message on the State of the Nation, President Akufo-Addo noted that Government, through the Ministry of Local Government and the District Assembly Common Fund, has commenced, in an unprecedented initiative, the construction of 90 courts with accompanying accommodation for judges across the country to help address the problem of inadequate court infrastructure.
Accordingly, “these structures are at advanced stages of completion. Government will continue to implement policies to advance the rule of law, and thereby reinforce the confidence of the people and shore up our nation’s reputation as a country governed by the rule of law”, he added.
Some personalities who graced the ceremony are Chief Justice Anin Yeboah and the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu.
