ALL IS set for the construction of a 34-courtroom complex at Victoriaborg, 28th February Road, High Street, Accra. A contract agreement to commence the construction of the project was signed yesterday between the Judicial Service of Ghana and Messrs China State Hualong Limited.
The project, which is expected to be completed within 30 months, is being funded by SSNIT at a total cost of $50m.
The new edifice, when completed, will house conventional facilities such as court rooms, judges� chambers, lawyers/clients consultation rooms, waiting areas, press briefing centres, restaurants, a clinic and an auditorium for the use of not only the judiciary, but the legal community.
Delivering a speech before the signing of the agreement, Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood stressed that �over the years, a number of factors have militated against the effective operation of the courts and have prevented this institution from executing its mandate effectively.�
According to her, the plan for the building had been on the drawing board for years. She indicated that as many as 19 of the High Courts and Circuit Courts were currently housed in the mainly wooden colonial structure on the 28th February Road, �a structure which was constructed in the early 1940s for purposes other than for use as court houses.�
Chief Justice Wood reiterated that over 20 years ago, the main buildings were refurbished and converted into courtrooms, chambers and registries.
�Most parts of the main structures forming this complex, popularly known as the Cocoa Affairs, are deteriorated; thus posing danger to court officials and court users.�
She pointed out that the Judicial Service had a huge infrastructural deficit as regards District Courts in Accra.
�Currently, most District Courts are housed in chief�s palaces and rented premises, all of which are in various stages of disrepair.�
Chief Justice Georgina Wood indicated that the project would ensure a holistic overhaul of the ICT infrastructure for an efficient system, adding, �We cannot achieve an optimal benefit of this important national ICT intervention, without suitable court houses.�
Yeboah Asare, Managing Partner, Avangarde Design Services, consultants for the projects, in a brief overview of the project, pledged that the project would advance as planned.
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