The President of the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG), Samuel Afotey Otu, has expressed frustration over the continued neglect of critical welfare concerns affecting judiciary staff.
Speaking at the 44th Annual General Meeting of the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG), Mr. Otu criticized what he described as years of “valuable discussions without tangible action.”
“Year after year, we applaud, nod in agreement, and express solidarity. But the valuable points raised often fail to translate into real, tangible action,” he said.
He cited several unresolved issues raised at past conferences, including delayed salary payments, inadequate security for staff, and the Judicial Service’s limited retention of Internally Generated Funds (IGF).
“In 2022, we raised concerns about salary delays. In 2023, we discussed human security. And in 2024, we again called for the retention of 70% of our IGF—yet we continue to retain just 30%,” he lamented.
While commending efforts to modernize justice delivery through digital innovation, Mr. Otu stressed the urgent need to strengthen cybersecurity to protect court systems from threats, referencing recent cyberattacks on institutions in the UK and US.
“A state-of-the-art case management system is only as effective as the Registrar who feeds it with timely and accurate information,” he added, underscoring the indispensable role of registrars and support staff as the “backbone of court operations.”
Mr. Otu reaffirmed JUSAG’s commitment to supporting reforms within the judiciary, pledging the association’s readiness to mobilize members to embrace digital tools and processes. However, he urged that staff welfare concerns be prioritized alongside technology upgrades.
The AMJG conference, held under the theme “Leveraging Technology to Enhance Justice Delivery”, brought together stakeholders to explore ways of modernizing Ghana’s justice system through digital transformation.
