Appeals Court judge, Justice Irene Danquah, has appealed to practitioners of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to be free from bias and work diligently in dispute resolution.

Justice Danquah says "efficient practice of ADR particularly at the private sector would make the country an investor friendly environment because investors would be sure that with ADR they can settle their disputes without necessarily going to court".

The Appeals Court Justice was speaking at the national conference of the Ghana National Association of ADR Practitioners (GNAAP) on January 31, 2015.

"ADR as a complement to the regular court system is an intervention that cannot be relegated to the background as it has become so inevitable and relevant at all levels of human endeavour", she said.

Justice Danquah also has oversight responsibility for the national Court Connected Alternate Dispute Resolution (CCADR) programme.

The second annual conference of GNAAP, which took place at the Centre for Conflict Resolution in Accra, also brought together chiefs, labour union representatives and other stakeholders in alternative dispute resolution.

Mankrado of Prampram Traditional Area, Nene Atsure Benta III, who is a member of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, said ADR has helped to quickly resolve land disputes that would have taken years to settle in the law courts.

He therefore commended GNAAP - an association aimed at regulating ADR process in Ghana - for their world class conduct.

GNAAP was established in 2012 to provide conflict resolution solutions to individuals, businesses, the state and collaborate with the relevant institutions to entrench ADR among Ghanaians.

Between 2007 and 2013, a total of 14,330 cases were settled through the ADR process.

President of GNAAP, Robert Sarfo Mensah, commended the Chief Justice, Georgina Wood, the Judicial Service, donor agencies and other key stakeholders for their efforts to strengthen ADR structures in the country.

The Judicial Service has set a 2017 target to extend ADR to every court in Ghana. There are currently 57 courts with an ADR unit. The service plans to bring 20 courts on board the ADR programme by end of 2015.