How Ghana’s Supreme Court Plans to go Digital and Fast-Track Cases

How Ghana’s Supreme Court Plans to go Digital and Fast-Track Cases

  • Supreme Court Justice Richard Adjei-Frimpong disclosed plans to integrate technology into Ghana's court system to address longstanding delays
  • The justice identified manual paperwork and difficulties serving legal documents as key factors slowing down court proceedings
  • Justice Adjei-Frimpong noted that expanded judicial infrastructure alongside digital reforms will improve efficiency without compromising fairness

Ghana's judiciary is set to adopt technology-driven reforms aimed at cutting delays that have long frustrated the country's legal system, a Supreme Court justice has revealed.

Justice Richard Adjei-Frimpong made the disclosure during an interview on Asempa FM on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, where he outlined the administrative challenges currently hampering the courts and the measures being taken to address them.

Supreme Court, Ghana's judiciary. legal system, Justice Richard Adjei-Frimpong, digital case management
Ghana’s Supreme Court plans to go digital in order to fast-track cases. Photo credit: Judicial Service of Ghana.
Source: Getty Images

According to him, much of the delay stems from a reliance on manual processes.

He said documents must be physically prepared and processed by lawyers before they can be served on the relevant parties, and tracking down individuals to receive those documents frequently adds further time to proceedings.

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"Some of the delays are about paperwork. Everything is put on paper, then a lawyer processes it before the person is served, and sometimes locating the person to serve is difficult," he said.

To tackle these inefficiencies, the judiciary is now prioritising a shift towards digital systems.

"We are making some changes to involve technology to solve all these problems," the justice stated.

Adjei-Frimpong speaks on systemic inefficiencies and delays

Justice Adjei-Frimpong was careful to distinguish between systemic inefficiencies and delays that are built into the law by design.

In a report by GhanaWeb, the Supreme Court judge further pointed to divorce cases as one example, explaining that legislation in such matters intentionally creates space for reconciliation before proceedings advance.

He noted that this measured approach has, in several instances, allowed couples to resolve their differences and preserve their marriages, suggesting that not every delay in the courts reflects a failure of the system.

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Beyond digitising administrative processes, Justice Adjei-Frimpong indicated that broader investment in judicial infrastructure would complement the technology reforms.

Together, he argued, these two pillars would bring meaningful improvement to how quickly and effectively the courts are able to operate.

He emphasised, however, that the drive for speed would not come at the expense of the principles underpinning Ghana's justice system, including thoroughness, fairness, and the integrity of legal proceedings.

AG lays bill to revive public tribunals

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Attorney General Dr Dominic Ayine presented the Tribunal Bill 2026 to Parliament to revive Ghana's public tribunal system.

The Bill would establish Regional and District Tribunals to handle economic crimes and minor offences, easing severe court backlogs.

The legislation passed its first reading and underwent committee review in Parliament.

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Salifu Bagulube Moro avatar

Salifu Bagulube Moro (Human-Interest Editor) Salifu Bagulube Moro is a Current Affairs Editor at YEN.com.gh. He has over five years of experience in journalism. He graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2018, where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies with a specialization in Journalism. Salifu previously worked with Opera News as a Content Management Systems (CMS) Editor. He also worked as an Online Reporter for the Ghanatalksbusiness.com news portal, as well as with the Graphic Communications Group Limited as a National Service Person. Salifu joined YEN.com.gh in 2024. Email: salifu.moro@yen.com.gh.