The Chief Justice, Mr Justice George Acquah, has underscored the importance of chieftaincy in the judicial administration of the country.According to C.J, having realised the judicatory capacity of chiefs , the judiciary is now tasked with blending the traditional modern concepts and practices into a concrete meaningful and effective judicial administration.He was of the view that when the capacity of the chiefs in adjudication and governance is strenghthened at the community level, the judiciary will be able to dispense justice in the country wIth ease and in a modern system.
Mr Justice Acquah lauded the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu for resolving huge number of cases, both stool and land related at his court in Kumasi. He noted that after the commendable work done by the Otumf! uo at his court, the number of chieftaincy appeals to the Supreme Court has considerably reduced .
According to the Chief Justice, dispute resolution by some chiefs and traditional leaders in their communities have brought peace and satisfaction to some aggrieved persons. Referring to chiefs as tribunals of preference, Mr Justice Acquah noted that eventhough there is no statutory backing for chiefs and their arbitral court where they sit in state to settle disputes, they have been in existence for ages and have formed part of the traditional outfit of any chief. He said series of workshops and training programmes aimed at equipping nananom in modern skills and techniques of disputes settlement to improve the operations of such courts so as to meet the demands of natural justice and rule of law will soon be carried out. He gave the topics to be captured in the workshops as principles of Natural Justice, Equity and Good Conscience , Techniques in var! ious methods of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Customary law and usage, peace building and dispute resolution among others.He was speaking at a forum rganised by the Judicial Service and World Bank on Extending the reach of the Judicial service through strenghthening the capacity of chiefs in Kumasi. The forum was the first of its kind and was attended by nananom of the Nantional House of Chiefs, the Ashanti Regional Minister MR SK Boafo, representatives of the World Bank as well as the Judiciary
Source: GhanaWeb
