Supreme Court judge, Justice Kweku Ackaah-Boafo, has called on young Ghanaians to uphold democratic values and contribute to the country’s peace and stability.
He emphasized that justice goes beyond the courtroom, and that young people can contribute to the country’s peace and stability by resolving disputes fairly, listening before judging, and choosing dialogue over dominance.
Speaking at a Distinguished Academic Lecture at University of Education, Winneba, on the topic, “Justice Beyond the Courtroom: Law, Dialogue, and values in building a peaceful and stable Democratic Society in Ghana,” Justice Ackaah-Boafo emphasized that Ghana’s democracy is still young and under construction, and that the current generation has a crucial role to play in its development.
“The Constitution is just over thirty years old. The institutions it established are still maturing, and the culture of constitutionalism that sustains them is still being formed,” Justice Ackaah-Boafo said. “This is not a cause for despair; it is an invitation.”
He noted that the digital revolution, economic pressures, and inequalities are testing the patience of citizens, but urged young people to choose dialogue over dictatorship, law over force, and democratic participation over authoritarian certainty.
“What I ask of you is what the Constitution asks of every citizen: to uphold and defend the democratic order, to respect the rights and dignity of others, and to contribute to the common good through your work, your families, and your civic participation,” Justice Ackaah-Boafo said.
He added, that “The Judiciary will continue to do its part. We will deliver judgments that are fair, timely, and grounded in law,” Justice Ackaah-Boafo said. “But the peace and stability of this republic depend on more than what happens in the courtroom.”
This he said “They depend on you (youth).” The Chief Justice, in a message read by Justice Ackaah-Boafo, expressed hope that the conversation started at the lecture would continue in classrooms, communities, workplaces, and lives of the students.
“You are inheriting a democracy that is still young and still under construction. The Constitution is just over thirty years old. The institutions it established are still maturing, and the culture of constitutionalism that sustains them is still being formed. This is not a cause for despair; it is an invitation.
“The generation that drafted the 1992 Constitution made a wager. They wagered that Ghanaians, given the chance to govern themselves under a framework of shared rules and mutual obligations, would choose dialogue over dictatorship, law over force, and the discipline of democratic participation over the false comfort of authoritarian certainty. For over three decades, that wager has been vindicated — but it has been vindicated because each generation has renewed the commitment.
“Your generation faces challenges that were not fully anticipated in 1992. The digital revolution has transformed how information moves, how opinions are formed, and how conflicts escalate. Economic pressures and the inequalities they produce test the patience of citizens who are told that democracy will deliver prosperity but who experience that promise unevenly.
“The relationship between the state and the citizen is being renegotiated in real time, and the outcome is not predetermined.
“What I ask of you is what the Constitution asks of every citizen: to uphold and defend the democratic order, to respect the rights and dignity of others, and to contribute to the common good through your work, your families, and your civic participation.
“Whether you become teachers, lawyers, negotiators, parents, or all of these at once, you will carry justice beyond the courtroom — every time you resolve a dispute fairly, every time you listen before you judge, every time you hold yourself and your community to account, and every time you choose dialogue over dominance.
“The Judiciary will continue to do its part. We will deliver judgments that are fair, timely, and grounded in law.
“We will expand access to justice through ADR and the use of technology. We will protect the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and hold all persons — including ourselves — to the standards demanded by the rule of law. But the peace and stability of this republic depend on more than what happens in the courtroom. They depend on you,” he said.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
