News
Chief Justice opens 12 Small credit and debt recovery courts
The Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkonoo has opened 12 special courts dedicated to small claims and debt recovery cases.
Eight of these courts are located in the Greater Accra Region while four of them are situated in the Ashanti Region.
The courts were created following an observation of a spike in small claims cases filed at the district court in Ghana. The increase has been attributed to cases filed by a single company Bills MicroCredit.
Justice Esaaba Torkonoo at the opening of the courts noted that ‘the data further revealed that over 70% of the total cases filed by Bills MicroCredit were for claims less than GHC 5,000.”
This situation then increased the workload of the district courts which already were overwhelmed, thereby undermining the court shift system that was introduced by the Judicial Service.
To address this, the Judicial Service with support from the Bills MicroCredit company created the small claims and debt recovery courts to clear these cases.
The courts in the discharge of their duties will sit every working day in the afternoons and on Saturdays.
“For the Greater Accra Region, District Court, Ashaiman, District Court, Teshie, District Court, Kasoa and District Court, La, will operate as the Saturday courts while District Court, Weija, District Court, Sowutuom, District Court ‘2’, Adenta and District Court, Gbese will operate as the weekday afternoon courts,” Chief Justice Torkonoo noted during the opening of the courts.
The head of the judiciary at the opening of the courts at the La District Courts expressed appreciation to Bills MicroCredit for opting to support the operations of the 12 courts.
Meanwhile the CEO of Bills MicroCredit, Richard Quaye, on the other hand, noted that the courts will go a long way to boost their business. He explained that his outfit has so far filed 30,000 cases across the country.
‘One significant challenge we have faced is the sheer volume of defaulters resulting in our need to resort to the courts for recovery — over 30,000 —8 filed by our company seeking expedited hearings.
“The establishment of the new Small Claims Court will greatly alleviate the burden on our judicial system, ensuring that cases are resolved more quickly and efficiently,” Richard Quaye said at the opening of the courts.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
News
Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in ruins
Once a vibrant recreational hub for children, families, students and tourists, the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park located at West Ridge in the Greater Accra Region now lies in a state of neglect.
The facility, which was a major site of attraction for school children especially on days of vacation, is now in ruins.
Visitors to the facility are now greeted with obsolete equipment and crumbling infrastructure.
Since 2019, the famous Children’s Park has been left to ‘die.’
This raises serious concerns about the nation’s commitment to preserving such public and monumental spaces.
On a visit to the facility by The Spectator, it observed that equipment mounted on the 14.83-acre playground has rusted and have become death traps, rather than the purpose for which they were mounted for visitors.
Workers were also seen busily weeding the overgrown grass and cleaning the compound.
A source at the Ministry of Gender, Women and Social Protection, the agency with oversight responsibility of the facility disclosed to this Reporter that for now, very few activities were organised on the park.
“It is unfortunate that the facility has turned this way. Very few people come around to make enquiries about it to hold special events. Its current state don’t make it attractive for event organisers again.”
The source added that apart from being unattractive, the state of the equipment scares the children away because they fear they might get injured.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
News
Efua Sutherland Park in a sorry state
Continued from Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in ruins
ACCORDING to the source, the collapse of the Efua Sutherland Park serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for sustained investment from authorities and stakeholders into recreation.
“We have had investors who want to support this cause but later they fail to show up,” the source disclosed.
Ghana risks losing not just a cherished recreational site, but a vital part of its cultural and environmental heritage.
The Parks revitalisation must become a tangible priority, reflecting the value placed on public spaces, cultural memory and collective spirit of the community it serves.
Efua Sutherland Park was named after the famous playwright and children storyteller who dedicated her life to the Ghanaian child.
