Courts in Crisis: 4 district courts in the Upper West Region managed by just one magistrate

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:00]In the Upper West region, getting justice can often mean waiting. Waiting for a judge, waiting for a magistrate, and sometimes waiting for court to even sit. At the moment, four district courts in the region are being managed by just one magistrate, while at the court in Tumu, currently has no magistrate at all. Last week, members of Parliament's parliamentary judicial committee visited Wa with assurances that efforts are underway to address the growing challenges confronting the justice system in the region. From abandoned court projects and understaffed courts to concerns of illegal education and the future of the region's law school, Rafiq Salam reports on what is broken and what authorities say is being done to fix it.

[00:00:44]Justice delayed isn't justice seen in the Upper West region. For many, it is a daily reality. Four district courts, one magistrate, and in Tumu, no magistrate at all.

[00:00:57]>> If you look at the district court, we have about five or so district courts.

[00:01:02]The Wa district court is currently manned.

[00:01:05]But for the other four district courts, we have only one district magistrate who is undertaking relieving duties as it were managing three courts. The supervising judge of the Wa court, Justice Osei Owusu Ansah, laid out the staffing crisis to Parliament's judicial committee during their visit to Wa.

[00:01:27]Court infrastructure has been a very big problem. If you look at the kind of building housing our district court, it is so deplorable.

[00:01:37]Uh in fact, the security of the presiding magistrate is even at risk. But there was also good news. The new high court complex, once stalled, is finally moving. Justice Owusu Ansah credited the committee's intervention for reviving the project. The second court now has a judge but rules and recruitment remain hurdles. If you look at our library it it is not in the best of shape. If we can I don't know if provision is made for the new court complex. If we can have a library a law library.

[00:02:13]Unfortunately for us we now have a law faculty at UBus. So if there's such a law library it would be assistance not only of the court staff but also the law students in the region.

[00:02:28]Ranking member of the Judicial Committee of Parliament beat Anwar Tahidu Imoro and disclosed that the committee had already helped release funds to complete the Wa High Court complex. Now they are turning attention to the wireless system. We as a committee will meet the the the the judiciary and what not. And so whatever they have presented to us when we have also come around and then we have known what is happening then we can make an input. We can ask questions about why this that why that. Uh-huh.

[00:02:58]And that one they will also take it into consideration and they will try to respond to it before we make a report which we will submit to the plenary of Parliament.

[00:03:06]>> At the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies UBus the committee heard that building a law school is tough when lecturers are hard to find. Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Osman Issahaka Cantom said UBus is expanding infrastructure to cope and challenging though it was to get even qualified lecturers. It's it's it's quite challenging.

[00:03:35]Absolutely.

[00:03:36]We use mostly part-time lecturers to do the job.

[00:03:42]Reporting for GBC News Rafiq Salam Wa.