Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkonoo, has inaugurated 12 specialized courts aimed at handling small claims and debt recovery cases.

Of these new courts, eight are located in the Greater Accra Region and four in the Ashanti Region.

The establishment of these courts follows a notable increase in small claims filed at district courts in Ghana, largely due to the volume of cases from Bills MicroCredit.

Justice Torkonoo revealed that over 70% of the cases filed by Bills MicroCredit involved claims under GHC 5,000.

This surge has significantly increased the workload of district courts, which were already facing challenges with the court shift system implemented by the Judicial Service.

To address this issue, the Judicial Service, with support from Bills MicroCredit, has set up these small claims and debt recovery courts. These courts will operate every weekday afternoon and on Saturdays.

“For the Greater Accra Region, District Court, Ashaiman, District Court, Teshie, District Court, Kasoa and District Court, La, will operate as the Saturday courts while District Court, Weija, District Court, Sowutuom, District Court ‘2’, Adenta and District Court, Gbese will operate as the weekday afternoon courts,” Chief Justice Torkonoo noted during the opening of the courts.At the La District Court's opening, Chief Justice Torkonoo thanked Bills MicroCredit for their support in establishing the new courts.

CEO of Bills MicroCredit, Richard Quaye, emphasized the benefits of these courts for their business.

He noted that his company has filed 30,000 cases nationwide and highlighted the challenges of managing the large volume of defaulters.

‘One significant challenge we have faced is the sheer volume of defaulters resulting in our need to resort to the courts for recovery — over 30,000 — filed by our company seeking expedited hearings.

“The establishment of the new Small Claims Court will greatly alleviate the burden on our judicial system, ensuring that cases are resolved more quickly and efficiently,” Richard Quaye said at the opening of the courts.