Members of the legal fraternity in the Upper West Region, together with state prosecutors, have expressed strong dissatisfaction over the stalled construction of the multi‑million‑cedi regional High Court complex.

They have described the abandoned site as a “cemetery,” reflecting two decades of dashed expectations.

A report by Adomonline.com on September 6, 2026 noted that regional leaders of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) and the Office of the Attorney General revealed that, despite repeated inspections and assurances from national delegations, the three‑storey structure has once again been abandoned by the contractor, leaving Wa without a single purpose‑built modern courtroom.

Reactions as Nigerian woman allegedly pulls knife during dispute with mobile money vendor

On a visit to the site last Friday, legal practitioners observed that equipment had been removed, gates left open, fittings exposed to theft, and fresh paint already peeling from the exterior walls just three months after application.

Chairman of the GBA in the region, Siddique Ubeidu, warned that members fear for their safety due to the worsening state of the makeshift facilities currently housing justice delivery.

“You will recall that this work was started almost 20 years ago, and it has been one reason or excuse for another,” Ubeidu stated.

“Our national executive committee of the GBA was here on the 1st of April and was given assurances that within three to four months, the building would be completed.

"...Subsequently, the Chief Justice sent another team led by a Supreme Court judge, Justice Yonny Kulendi, alongside all directors from the Judicial Service, assuring us it would be available for use within two to three months.

Here we are today, 4th September, and the place is a cemetery. If you look at the way they packed their equipment, there is no sign that they will be back anytime soon. What is even more worrying is that the paint done less than three months ago has started peeling off, pointing to the suspect quality of the work,” he added.

Why Ghana must keep two-term presidential limits – Asiedu Nketiah explains

According to Ubeidu, conditions inside the operational Wa Circuit Court expose occupants to daily hazards. “We feel very depressed and disappointed, and we even fear for our lives. You can see gaping, life‑threatening cracks inside the judge’s chambers and the courtroom.

Staff have no offices and compete with litigants inside the courtroom, even eating their meals there. Years ago, former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo came to town and threatened to shut the court down due to its state, yet nothing was done while the population grew.”

Principal State Attorney for the region, Saeed Abdul‑Shakur, described the situation as a national embarrassment.

“It didn’t take China 20 years to build the Three Gorges Dam, nor Dubai 10 years to build the Burj Khalifa. Why is it taking a whole nation 20 years to set up just a three‑storey building for a court complex? We are serving 11 districts, yet the High Court, District Court, and Circuit Court are all operating out of colonial and temporary makeshift structures.

"...We thought the visits by the Parliamentary Select Committee and the Chief Justice’s delegation meant light at the end of the tunnel, without knowing it was an oncoming train bound to crash the justice system," he noted.

"We cannot be delivering justice under trees.”

Former CJ’s COCOBOD praise resurfaces amid backlash on Baffoe-Bonnie

Acting Secretary of the regional GBA, Crispin Wura‑Sey Ziekah, also raised concerns about compromised infrastructure.

“Are we waiting for our courts to collapse before we complete this structure? At the District Court, a magistrate has to wait in his vehicle until proceedings are assembled before stepping inside. We were assured the new complex would be commissioned during the Bar Conference hosted here last year; it failed. We were promised we would start the new legal year this October in the complex, but the contractor has packed out completely, and the unsecured gates leave installations vulnerable to vandalism.”

The lawyers have appealed directly to the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, and the Minister for Justice to compel the contractor and consultants back to site, stressing that the facility must be completed to avert catastrophe in the region’s makeshift courtrooms.

Meanwhile, the contractor, Project Seven Limited, has denied abandoning the project. A director of the company, Simon Sowah, told JoyNews that unpaid certificates remain pending with the Judicial Service and central government.

He said the company will return to site once the government settles its indebtedness.

VKB/EB