Traditional Justice in informal Urban Settlements in Ghana
British Academy Funded Project
Lead Researchers: Dr Thomas Akoensi and Dr Amy Nivette
This project seeks to explore the role of traditional actors as alternative sources of dispute resolution and criminal justice in informal urban settlements (i.e. slums). We are particularly interested in how slum residents navigate conflict resolution and justice in Ghana, where both formal (e.g. police) and informal (e.g. traditional chiefs, community elders) criminal justice authorities co-exist. We seek to conduct in-depth interviews to allow us to collect information on personal experiences with both formal and traditional justice authorities, as well as illuminate how residents navigate and solve conflicts in the slums. We hope that through our findings, Ghana based institutions and international development organisations will recognize the importance of traditional justice in these settlements and assist with improving access to justice for the poor.