Supervising High Court Judge, Justice Augustina Mensah-Homiah, says prioritizing the development of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms has become critical in building strong pillars of commercial justice delivery.

Speaking on behalf of the Chief Justice at the launch of the 2025 ADR Week in Kumasi, she highlighted the potential of ADR to improve access to justice and promote economic growth.

The Judicial Service Ghana launched the 2025 ADR Week under the theme: “Building the Pillars of Justice Delivery through Commercial Justice ADR”.

The Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms, such as mediation and arbitration, were introduced to provide a faster and more cost-effective means of resolving commercial disputes.

Speaking on behalf of the Chief Justice, Supervising High Court Judge and Judge-in-Charge of ADR, Justice Augustina Mensah-Homiah, emphasised that ADR can help reduce the backlog of cases in the courts.

“A powerful solution in the realm of commercial disputes is the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism, which offers a constructive, effective and the most efficient alternative to litigation”.

She encouraged litigants, especially the business community, to prioritise ADR as a more cost-efficient means of litigation.

“For many businesses, the cost and time of taking a case to trial can be prohibitive, leaving valid claims unresolved”.

“Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provides a flexible, cost-effective alternative to court proceedings, offering businesses a path to justice that might otherwise be out of reach due to the expense of litigation”.

Justice Mensah-Homiah called on the judiciary to work closely with other stakeholders, including lawyers, business leaders, and ADR practitioners, to promote the use of ADR in commercial justice.

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Bar Association, Kwame Owusu-Sekyere, encouraged litigants to embrace courts connected to ADR in dispute resolution.