The Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood has tasked the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) to keep the lines of communication open with the African national or constitutional courts. “These courts play important roles in raising and maintaining the quality of governance in Africa and people should be aware of one another’s challenges and significant judicial decisions,” she stated. Addressing the 23rd Session of the AfCHPR, Chief Justice Wood said the court fits into the increasing trend towards internationalising the delivery of some aspects of justice. She said international and municipal justice delivery systems are parallel tracks headed in the same direction; namely the promotion of good governance. Mrs. Wood said in the past 20 years, the tide has flowed towards the establishment of regional and international judicial institutions for delivery of human rights and humanitarian justice. She advocated that more member countries should ratified the Protocol on the establishment of the courts since only 26 countries out of the 54 member countries of the African Union have done so and encouraged other member countries to fulfill their obligations relative to the court. She called for the promotion of international good governance, stating that the Supreme Court of Ghana had, in the last two decades of enforcement of the Constitution of the Fourth Republic, demonstrated its commitment to good governance and the upholding of the democratic values and ideals embodied in the document. The Chief Justice said the merging of the two courts - African Court on Human and People’s Rights with the Court of Justices of the African Union into a single court of African Court of Justice and Human Right was in the right direction because it would lead to the strengthening of the resultant single court. Mr Martin Amidu, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, said the establishment of African Court was a demonstration of the determination of the government and people of Africa to ensure the benefit of the rule of law, fundamental human rights and good governance for sustainable development of the continent. Mr Amidu stressed that the establishment of AfCHPR also demonstrated to the whole world the determination of the distinguished justices and the staff of the court to work assiduously to get the body well established, functioning and owned by the people of Africa as their court. He assured AfCHPR of Ghana’s unwavering support and commitment to the success of the court, stating that government recognised the important role the judiciary plays not only in the administration of justice but also the positive impact of its role on its social, cultural, economic and political development. Justice Gerard Nyungeko, President of AfCHPR said though the court have been able to make some remarkable strides, there are still many challenges facing it; among which are ignorance of Africans about the existence of the court, low ratification of the protocol establishing it and low rate of deposits of special declaration. She explained that this covers less than half of the 53 member states of the African Union even though all the member states of the union have ratified the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights that the court was mandated to interpret and ensure its application. Justice Nyungeko said the court would continue to look up to Ghana for support, to use its influence and leadership role to convince other African countries to ratify the protocol and make the declaration.