Judicial Secretary, Musah Ahmed, has revealed that the newly established Specialised High Court Division will not only have a distinct mandate but will also be resourced differently — with specially trained judges, many of them drawn from the Court of Appeal, assigned to handle cases in the division.
Ahmed disclosed The Law on Joy News, offering the clearest picture yet of how the courts — established by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie through a circular on February 5, 2026 — will actually function on the ground.
“These courts will be equipped differently — both in equipment and human resources, including the judges,” Ahmed said, stressing that the initiative goes beyond simply creating new court divisions on paper.
The Judicial Secretary outlined four broad areas the new division will cover: corruption and public accountability, natural resources and galamsey, state asset recovery, and organised crime and security. These areas reflect some of the most pressing accountability challenges Ghana faces, from the plundering of public funds to the destruction of water bodies by illegal miners.
Crucially, Ahmed clarified that the judges to be assigned are not recruits. They are existing judges who have already undergone specialised training in areas directly relevant to the division’s mandate. “Some of them have had training in maritime cases. Some have had cybersecurity training. Some have also had financial crime training. So we are going to employ all these judges to sit,” he said.
He added that the calibre of judges involved is significant, revealing that a majority will come from the Court of Appeal. “Some of them are even Appeal Court judges.
In fact, the majority of them will come from the Appeal Court,” Ahmed noted, a detail that signals the judiciary’s intent to bring its most experienced hands to bear on these sensitive and complex cases.
The establishment of the specialised court is seen as a direct response to public outcry over the slow pace of justice in cases involving public funds and the devastating impact of illegal mining. Exercising powers under Section 14(3) of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459), the Chief Justice’s circular mandated that specific judges of the Superior Court of Judicature be assigned to the division to handle matters of critical national interest.
The Chief Justice also ordered that High Court offices remain open from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm on weekdays — a departure from traditional operating hours meant to ease the pressure of increased caseloads.
The reforms arrive at a time when public confidence in the pace of Ghana’s justice system has been tested, particularly in high-profile corruption and galamsey cases that have dragged on for years with little resolution. The creation of a dedicated, well-resourced judicial pipeline — staffed by judges already trained in the relevant fields — is aimed squarely at changing that narrative.
The Judicial Service is also revising the Rules of Court, expected to come into force by March 2026, alongside technological innovations intended to further enhance justice delivery across the board.
