The Africa Court on Human and People’s Rights has commended Ghana for deepening democracy and respecting the rights of people. The Vice-President of the court, Ms Justice Sophia Akuffo, said Ghana was one of the first countries that had ratified the Charter on Human Rights and one of the five that had made a declaration to protect the rights of people. Ms Justice Akuffo, who is also a Supreme Court Judge of Ghana, made the commendation Thursday, when she led a delegation of judges from the Africa Court on Human and People's Rights to call on the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, at the Castle, Osu. The judges had attended the 23rd session of the court in Accra and also held seminars to educate the public on its work. Ms Justice Akuffo said the choice of Ghana for the 23rd session of the court, which was the first to be held outside its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, was due to the country's sterling record in the protection of human rights. Besides, she said, Ghana had been supportive of the court in its work over the years. She said during the seminars, the country had, through the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Barton Oduro, educated Ghanaians on their rights to seek redress against the state at the court if they exhausted local remedies. That boldness, she said, was commendable, since the deputy minister wanted to educate the citizens on their rights and responsibilities. Responding, the Vice-President expressed joy at the decision of the court to hold its session in Accra. He said the holding of the session in Accra had encouraged Ghana to deepen its democratic culture and respect for human rights. He commended the court for “doing a good job” and expressed the hope that with the calibre of judges on it, it would continue to work hard to protect the rights of people. Earlier, the Vice-President had signed the book of condolence for the late Amon Kotei, the man who designed the Coat of Arms, at the deceased's residence at La. He expressed the government's condolence at the loss of Mr Kotei and promised to lead the government delegation to his funeral at the Forecourt of the State House today. Mr Kotei died on October 17, 2011 at the age of 96. He left behind a wife, Madam Sarah Adoley Addo; 10 children, 44 grandchildren and 28 great grandchildren.