ADR Centre to introduce national practice manual to standardise dispute resolution
The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre has commenced a comprehensive programme aimed at streamlining the ADR landscape in Ghana, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Centre, Dr Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi, has announced.
To be known as the National ADR Practice Manual, Dr Korankye-Sakyi said the initiative seeks to establish uniform practice standards across mediation, arbitration and other ADR mechanisms.
Delivering the keynote address at the graduation ceremony of the Institute of Paralegal Training and Leadership Studies (IPLS Ghana) on Saturday, he said the manual would serve as a practical guide for practitioners and institutions, ensuring consistency, quality and professionalism in service delivery.
He disclosed that the Centre was also developing the Legislative Instrument required under the ADR Act to provide greater clarity on operational procedures and strengthen implementation of the law.
Dr Korankye-Sakyi said the manual would be developed in collaboration with ADR practitioners to ensure broad acceptability and effective implementation.
He explained that the initiative had become necessary due to the increasing emergence of individuals and institutions purporting to offer ADR services without the requisite professional competence, legal foundation or ethical standards.
“Across the country, we are witnessing the mushrooming of organisations presenting themselves as ADR centres without meeting acceptable professional requirements,” he said.
He expressed concern that some institutions were conducting mediation training without recognised standards, while others were issuing certificates that did not reflect adequate training or practical competence.
Dr Korankye-Sakyi stressed that just as doctors, lawyers, architects and accountants were required to meet established professional standards before practising, ADR practitioners must equally uphold competence, ethics and accountability.
He further announced that the Centre was establishing a comprehensive National Register of Certified ADR Practitioners to enable the public, businesses, courts and other institutions to identify qualified mediators, arbitrators and other ADR professionals.
In addition, ADR training institutions and service centres would be registered and recognised based on clearly defined standards covering governance, training, ethics, service delivery and operational competence.
Dr Korankye-Sakyi urged the graduands to remember that their reputation would depend not on their certificates but on their competence, integrity and commitment to ethical practice.
“Be lifelong learners, seek mentorship, pursue continuous professional development, respect confidentiality, maintain impartiality and treat every party with dignity,” he advised.
He reminded them that every dispute peacefully resolved contributed to stronger families, businesses and a stronger nation, adding that they were “builders of peace, facilitators of dialogue and custodians of justice beyond the courtroom.”
A Senior State Attorney, Thahiyat Mohammed Zabado, said more than 37,000 disputes had been resolved through the Court-Connected ADR (CCADR) system over the past two decades.
She urged the graduands to regard their qualification as the beginning of a lifelong learning journey, noting that paralegals and ADR practitioners played an important role in Ghana’s justice delivery system.
An online ADR cohort representative, Naa Ashirifia, said the training had equipped participants with the knowledge and confidence to mediate conflicts, negotiate effectively and promote peaceful coexistence.
In all, 124 participants from the February and March 2026 cohorts of the Professional Executive in General Paralegal Studies and ADR programmes were presented with certificates.
