Accra, 20 November 2019 – A Ghanaian delegation from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Judicial Service and the Office of the Attorney General has participated in a five-day exchange of experience programme in Madrid, where they met with their peer institutions and analysed the similarities and differences between Ghana and Spain best practices, systems and experiences that contribute to improving the work processes for each country.

The mission, organised through the European Union-funded Accountability Rule of law and Anti-corruption Programme (ARAP), implemented by the Spanish public foundation FIIAPP, has allowed six Ghanaian High-level officials to  explore about different systems developed by each country regarding the protection of human rights, the management of the public administration in the three stages ruling in Spain: Ombudsman, Administrative procedures and Judicial Review  before the special jurisdiction and the control systems of administrative acts in the protection of the rights of citizens.

The visit was coordinated by Mrs. Ana Sánchez, ARAP’s Team Leader and the delegation was composed of the Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mr Joseph Whittal, the Director of the Administrative Justice of CHRAJ, Ms Elizabeth Kufuor, the Director of Human Rights of CHRAJ, Mr Isaac Annan, Lordship from the Justice Court of Appeal, Mr C.J Honyenuga, Ladyship from the Justice Court of Appeal, Ms Irene Charity and Senior State Attorney, Mr Vincent Nyinaku.

The Ghanaian delegation started the exchange visiting the Spanish Ombudsman, responsible for guaranteeing the fundamental rights and public liberties of citizens by supervising the activity of public administrations. During the meeting at the Ombudsman office, they were briefed on the Ombudsman’s structured mandate and the reach and scope of its resolutions remarking the Spanish non-binding recommendation (“moral authority”). Moreover, they underscored the fundamental role of the media, which supports the Ombudsman's resolutions in their reporting and analysed the migration situation and guarantee of the rights of the migrants.

They also went to the Ministry of Justice and received by the Director of International Legal Cooperation, where they discussed with its peers counterparts the organizational, structural and functional systems of the administration in Spain and Ghana and the process of digitalization and technological progress in the planned administration services in Spain also known as e-Government.

Furthermore, the delegation was received at the  Ministry of Justice by the State Attorney's Office to discuss the nature, function in representing and defending the Government (“the Government is our client”). They also reviewed the study of the system of intervention of the State Attorney's Office in administrative proceedings and administrative litigation. The State Attorney briefed the Ghanaian delegation on the unity of criteria in the performance of the State Attorney: Advising the State as a public administration and its performance; Representing the State before the International Courts not only in Europe but also vis-à-vis other non-European countries and International Organizations.

They ended with a session at the Office of the Attorney General where the Head of the Technical Cabinet, welcomed the delegation and discussed the nature, function in defending the rights, legality, and competencies of the Public Prosecutor's Office. They analysed the differences of its functions that set them apart from the State Attorney.

The visit comes as part of an international exchange of expertise, tools, and best practices, as it aimed at bolstering cooperation and explores ways and means to joint work in those fields.

Tap this link to check our Flickr gallery.

……………...

About ARAP

The ARAP - Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme project joins the Ghanaian government's efforts to reduce corruption. This Programme is funded by the European Union Delegation to Ghana and is currently implemented by the Fundacion Internacional y para Iberoamerica de Administracion y Politicas Publicas (FIIAPP). This programme aims to promote good governance and support national reform, in order to enhance accountability and strengthen anti-corruption efforts across the country.