Minister of State-designate to the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Osei Bonsu Amoah, has stated the promotion of justice is very critical to Ghana’s democracy and rule of law.
He said this will guarantee liberties, enhance social order, resolve legal disputes, maintain the rule of law and provide equal protection for all citizens and protect individuals from arbitrariness, even from the government.
He stated that the base on which these can be achieved, however, is easy access to courts, which the Ministry and the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) through the vision and policy of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is constructing many across the country.
Contributing to the debate on the Motion to thank the President for his Message on the State of the Nation on Wednesday15th March, 2023 in Parliament, Hon. OB Amoah indicated that the government has constructed 120 courthouses with accompanying accommodation for judges across the country.
President Akufo-Addo in the state of the nation address expressed pride at the dramatic intervention his government has made to tackle the disgraceful problem of dilapidated and inadequate number of courts in the country.
He said, “As someone who for years earned my living as a practising lawyer, I have first-hand experience of the unacceptable state of courthouses around the country and I am glad to inform the House that we are resolving this problem.”
“Through the Ministry of Local Government and the District Assembly Common Fund, Government has embarked on the construction of 120 courthouses with accompanying accommodation for judges across the country.”
“Indeed, 60 have been completed, and the others are at various stages of completion. For the first time ever, we have the happy situation of purpose-built courthouses with accommodations waiting for judges to be appointed to put them to use.”
According to OB Amoah, who is also MP for Akuapim South, it is very critical for a country like Ghana to pay attention to the provision of courts and stressed the government of President Akufo-Addo has demonstrated its profound interest in Ghana’s justice delivery.
The Minister of State-designate argued that beyond the provision of courts, the government has also pursued policies to provide infrastructure and social amenities across the country through a number of flagship programmes.
He stated the Ministry is implementing a 5-year Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme, which has so far secured $245 million for 35 assemblies scattered in the various regions.
The fund, he said, is for urban development management to deliver key infrastructure, and improve service delivery to citizens through the decentralization policy.
According to him, this is one of the decentralization policy changes aimed at creating an enabling environment for income growth, sustaining business development, creating decent jobs, adding value to local resources for exports and improving the capacities of main actors especially women and the youth.
He disclosed that 191 projects are being tackled in these 35 assemblies under various units of the urban grant, and is one of the flagship programmes of the Ministry because it is pursuing urban development at the highest level.
The Ministry, he said, is also implementing a $180 million Ghana Productive Safety Net Project for 100 districts for which basic services and economic opportunities are being improved.
He said, “We are to build capacity and skills development opportunities for the youth. Through this, $180 million will be spent for the construction of feeder roads and dams in almost 400 communities, as well as distribution of about 11.9 million seedlings for one hundred thousand hectares to be disbursed and distributed across the country.”
Mr. OB Amoah said he touched on these flagship programmes to buttress President Akufo-Addo’s point that the government has not been reckless in its borrowing and that government is spending on the improvement of facilities and infrastructure for the very poor.
The government, he said is also redeveloping and modernizing the Takoradi and the Kumasi Central Markets and indicated the projects will meet the deadline and open for business.
He averred that President Akufo-Addo has demonstrated what the government is doing with all the loans it has taken, which include the provision of courts, developing central markets and providing critical infrastructure across the country.