Twelve special courts have been established by Chief Justice Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkonoo specifically for small claims and debt recovery cases. Four of these courts are located in the Ashanti Region, and eight of them are in the Greater Accra Region. The courts were established in response to a noticeable increase in small claims disputes brought before Ghana’s district court. Cases filed by Bills Microcredit, a single company, have been blamed for the rise.
At the court’s inauguration, Justice Esaaba Torkonoo stated that additional data showed that more than 70% of all cases submitted by Bills Microcredit had claims totaling less than GHC 5,000. Subsequently, this circumstance added to the already excessive burden of the district courts, compromising the Judicial Service’s court shift system. In order to resolve this, the Judicial Service established the small claims and debt recovery courts, with assistance from Bills Microcredit.
Every working day in the afternoon and on Saturdays, the courts will convene in the course of their official business. On the other side, Richard Quaye, CEO of Bills MicroCredit, stated that the courts will significantly increase their company. He clarified that his organization has filed 30,000 lawsuits nationwide to date.
