A Ghanaian High Court Judge on Secondment in The Gambia, Justice Alexander Osei Tutu has been appointed among seven others from the sub-region to revive Gambia’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system of adjudication.

University campus-based KNUST News reports that Chief Justice of Gambia, Justice Hassan B. Jallow set up the seven-member taskforce to redirect the country’s policy of the reintroduction of their Court Connected ADR system Ghana currently is practising.

This was after the learned Judge at a stakeholders conference organized by The Gambia’s Judiciary at Cape Point showcased Ghana’s ADR system connected to the international community.

Speaking on the topic: “Ghana’s Experience with Court Connected ADR”, Justice Osei Tutu told the gathering Ghana is a pacesetter and harbinger of modern ADR practices in the sub-region.

He highlighted the benefits of Ghana’s ADR mechanism since its inception over a decade to government and people of Ghana.

“From 2007 to 2020, the Court Connected ADR Secretariat in Ghana successfully settled 26, 569 out of 53, 721 cases representing 49% of the total cases referred to the Secretariat”, he told colleagues including some Chief Justices from other countries.

He received high praise and applauds from members of the judiciary after his presentation.

Earlier, the Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, Justice Desmond Babatunde and the President of the Institute of Mediators of Nigeria, Dr Elahi Agada had taken turns to address the Judges and other participants on the Sierra Leonean and Nigerian experiences with ADR respectively.

The taskforce was headed by the President of the Court of Appeal of The Gambia, Justice Omarr M.M. Njie. Others include Justice Zainabe Jawara Alamianda and a Nigerian Judge on Secondment to the Gambia,  Babatunde Ademola Bakre.