Capacity building programme for judges

By William Yaw Owusu.

Monday, 23 January 2006
CHIEF Justice George Kingsley Acquah has launched an institutional strengthening and capacity building programme for judges and magistrates.

The programme, sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency to equip judges and magistrates with the skills to promote their professional competence.

"We hope to equip our judges with what it takes to ensure and preserve the sanctity of the Rule of Law" Justice Acquah said at the well-attended ceremony in Accra on Friday.

He said the nature of the programme was bound to change the face and pace of judicial education in Ghana and it was his dream to create a judiciary which will serve as the cutting edge of legal thinking and innovations in the West Africa sub-region.

"This dream can only be realized through continuous education and training of not only judges and magistrates but also other supporting staff of the service."

He appealed to the Canadian government to earmark, a percentage of the budgetary support for Ghana to the service for infrastractural development.

The Chief Justice also appealed to government to increase the service’s budgetary allocation for judicial reforms.

Mr Kwaku Agyemang Manu, a Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, said the programme was a testimony of the help the Canadian government was offering in all sectors of the economy.

Mr Manu said the government was committed to supporting the Judicial Service in the quest to promote good governance and assured the Chief Justice of the Ministry’s preparedness to assist the service.

Mr Donald J. Bobiash, Canadian High Commissioner, said Ghana is a model for the African continent and his country is committed to ensuring her development.

The Canadian government has released 600,000 dollars for the project, he said.

Professor Brettel Dawson, Academic Director of National Judicial Institute of Canada, a collaborative partner in the programme said "we look forward to embarking with Ghana on the journey to become a middle income earner and a leader of the sub-region."

Mr Lawrence Amesu, Country Director of the Canadian University Services Overseas an implementing partner said "we have found the Judicial Service an ideal development partner."

During an open forum, Ms Joyce Aryee, Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, urged judges to take advantage of what was on offer to keep themselves abreast of the current era of information and technology.