Ghana’s Legal Aid Scheme is on the verge of collapsing as staff depend on donors for survival due to numerous challenges.
According to the scheme’s Executive Director, Yahaya Alhassan Seini, the situation is affecting the output of its workers.
Speaking Monday on Adom FM’s ‘Burning Issues’ programme hosted by Afia Pokua, Mr. Seini said the entire Legal Aid has only one vehicle and a total of 23 staff across the country.
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He added that the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General is aware of the challenges confronting the Scheme but nothing has been done about the situation over the years.
He revealed that in 2017 the office received a total of 11,464 cases across the country and resolved 7,709, representing 67.25 percent and 3,755, representing 32.75 percent of cases remain unresolved .
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In 2016, a total of 10,350 cases were reported to the office, out of which 6,208 were reported by women representing 60% and 4,142 of cases by men representing 40% across the country.
Ghana Legal Aid Scheme is a public service organisation within the Justice delivery system of Ghana. It is one of the component institutions over which the Ministry for Justice has oversight responsibility and is governed by a twelve (12) member Board of Directors. The Scheme operates countrywide from ten (10) offices in all the Regional capitals. Ghana Legal Aid recruits Legal Aid Officers (ADR) and Lawyers in Ghana.
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Contributing to the studio discussions, Assistant Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) officer at the Legal Aid Department, Philip Ofei Asamoah, said the office is hoping to get financing clearance from the Finance Ministry to enhance the capacity of their staff.
Ofei Asamoah also lamented over lack of office space, computers and other logistics to do daily activities.
He assured that Legal Aid department will continue to work in the interest of the country as mandated if the government provides the needed resources.