The former Executive Vice President of Unilever Ghana and Nigeria, Yaw Nsarkoh, has called for improved resourcing and a comprehensive operational review of Ghana’s judicial system, arguing that adding more judges alone will not resolve the challenges affecting justice delivery.
He says the country must examine how cases move through the courts, identify the causes of delays and deploy technology and better planning to improve efficiency.
Speaking at a JoyNews and An Amalgam of Professionals event on Tuesday, October 20, he said meaningful reform would require funding, but stressed that the management of existing resources was equally important.
Mr Nsarkoh cited what he described as Ghana’s limited capacity to finance its development priorities, arguing that the economy was too small to meet the competing demands of a population of about 34 million people.
He urged the involvement of experienced planners and operations managers in assessing the judicial process from beginning to end.
“We must get seasoned planners and operations managers to look at the end-to-end judicial process, with a view to optimising service to citizens,” he said.
Mr Nsarkoh suggested that professional bodies, including the Ghana Institution of Engineering and organisations representing project managers and planners, could contribute to the review.
He also questioned whether the large number of land disputes clogging the judicial system should prompt broader reforms in land administration rather than a response focused primarily on increasing the number of judges.
He identified other recurring disputes, including those connected to funerals and chieftaincy, as problems that society must address at their roots instead of continually relying on an under-resourced court system.
Mr Nsarkoh further urged the judiciary to embrace technology to improve its operations, arguing that properly deployed tools could expand institutional capacity.
He maintained that without adequate funding, systematic problem-solving and improved operational management, calls for judicial reform would remain largely aspirational.