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Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practitioners in the Ashaiman Municipality have called on government and Parliament to pass a Legislative Instrument (LI) to support their operations.

The practitioners cum mediators stated in a report copied to the Ghana News Agency that “we believe that the ADR concept would be well managed to give meaning to justice for all if the LI is passed”.

The report was signed by Mr Gabriel Atsu, Mr Herbert K. Mensah, Ms Justina Ativor and Mr Kingsley Kutiame, mediators at the Ashaiman Central ADR Centre.

According to them, even though the ADR Act 2010, ACT 798 gave opportunity for the establishment of ADR agencies, lack of an LI to support its operations has affected the well-meaning purpose of creating the agencies as only few trained persons were in the system.

The report noted that the importance of the service of the ADR Centre especially in the Ashaiman Municipality could not be over emphasized.

It stated that the centre’s services do not only save time and money for its clients, but also provide them with the opportunity for procedural activity to effectively utilize the law to bring about peaceful settlement of disputes brought to the centre.

The mediators indicated that quite a number of people availed themselves of their services, hence the need to have more trained or qualified staff and adequate facilities to satisfy the growing demand.

Alternative Dispute Resolution mainly uses the mediation process in its operations in which disputants are given opportunity to rethink their position and look at their interest, taking into account effect on business and life in general after the dispute.

The Ashaiman Central ADR Centre which was one of the pilot ADR agencies commenced in 2000 serve the Ashaiman municipality and its surrounding districts including the Tema Metropolis, Ningo-Prampram District, Kpone-Katamanso District and the Ledzekuku-Krowor Municipality.