The Potential of ADR - Jammeh

President Yahya Jammeh shares his view on the potentials of ADR.
I reproduce below, parts of the text for those who may have difficulty accessing the link.
Happy reading, and I hope you would not be distracted by title(s) of the President.
SMK.


Banjul — The Gambian leader, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh, has said that Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) has the potential of promoting accord and peace among people living together as neighbours; thus forester national peace.


These remarks of the president were contained in a statement read on his behalf by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Aja Marie Saine-Firdaus yesterday during the opening ceremony of the two-day ADR conference in Paradise Suits Hotel. The purpose of the conference is to sensitise stakeholders and the general public about the potential benefits ADR possesses in solving disputes.

According to President Jammeh, apart from having considerable support from his administration, the phenomenon of ADR is very much in tune with our traditional justice delivery system which have been in existence well before the coming of colonisation in this country and has been used successfully to settle disputes in our respective communities. ?Experience has shown that our formal justice delivery system has left much to be desired in justice delivery in The Gambia. Court proceedings are slow, time consuming and costly due to inordinate delays in the proceedings and processes,? he said.


He added that having possed all the key essential ingredients that underpinned access to justice, the ADR mechanism will provide a useful alternative to more formal justice delivery system which is plagued with backlog of cases dragging on for a long time. ?This will in turn contribute meaningfully to reducing backlog of cases and turn around time for judgement in the conventional courts. The facilities provided through the ADR are comparatively cheaper than filing a civil suit in court. The ADR structure is not as rigid as those implemented by the courts and the terminology used is easily understood by all parties involved. Therefore, it is believed that ADR will find favour with the majority of people living in the provinces,? he said.


President Jammeh then highlighted the importance his government attaches towards nurturing the mechanisms of the ADR, noting that its means of conflict resolution should be encouraged and constantly nurtured so that capacities of those dealing with conflict resolution would be broadened and in turn benefit parties involved. He then welcomed all hands on deck to make the facilities of the ADR accessible to all.