Ghana, Nigeria delegates hails Tanzania’s legal system

DODOMA: DELEGATES from the High Courts of Ghana and Nigeria have praised Tanzania’s legal system for enabling the Office of the Attorney General (AG), the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the Solicitor General to operate independently, enhancing dispense justice without conflict of interest. The delegates from the two West African states, who are in the …

DODOMA: DELEGATES from the High Courts of Ghana and Nigeria have praised Tanzania’s legal system for enabling the Office of the Attorney General (AG), the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the Solicitor General to operate independently, enhancing dispense justice without conflict of interest.

The delegates from the two West African states, who are in the country for a five-day training visit, aimed at learning about the country’s legal system, described the setup as in Tanzania for a five-day working visit aimed at learning about the country’s legal system as “a model worth emulating.”

Speaking shortly after welcoming the delegation in Dodoma, Attorney General Mr Hamza Johari expressed appreciation for the visit, which aimed to explore the workings of the AG’s office and to identify areas of learning that the visiting countries could adopt.

“This is a learning tour on their part. We have done our best to provide the information they needed, and I’m glad they are satisfied with what they’ve seen,” said Mr Johari.

The delegation also included Ms Mariya Badeva, Director of AfricanLII and Laws and Mr Muhamet Brahimi, a representative of GIZ Regional Programme for the Rule of Law and Judiciaries in Africa.

The AG extended his gratitude to GIZ for supporting the Tanzanian Legal Information Institute (TanzLII) project — a free online legal platform that provides open access to Tanzanian legal information including court judgments, laws, and other legal documents.

“This is a very important project in our legal system. The progress made in updating the system is commendable, but the most crucial thing now is sustainability,” Mr Johari emphasized.

He assured GIZ of continued support and sustainability of the TanzLII platform even after donor support winds down.

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“You started well with us, and we are on the right track. Together with the Judiciary, we have put in place sustainable mechanisms, including funding, to ensure TanzLII continues to operate and make laws easily accessible to the public,” he said.

TanzLII was launched in 2018 and, as of June 2, 2025, hosts a robust collection of 65,815 court judgments from the Court of Appeal and various High Court divisions.

In 2024, the Judiciary launched a digitization initiative targeting historical judgments dating back to 1980.

By August that year, 5,424 High Court decisions and 1,430 Court of Appeal rulings from the Dar es Salaam Zone had been successfully digitised.

Head of Delegation from Ghana, Lady Justice Jennifer Abena Dadzie, hailed the collaboration between Tanzania and AfricanLII as a vital step in advancing justice delivery across the continent.

“I’m pleased to be here because collaboration is key in achieving efficient justice delivery,” she said.

“We came here because we were informed about TanzLII’s success in uploading judgments to ease access to justice, and indeed, Tanzania is doing it very well.”

She added that Ghana recently joined AfricanLII through a project with GhaLII and GIZ.

“We have not gone so far, but we have made great strides. Judgments of judges in Ghana are now available at the click of a button, thanks to this initiative,” she said.

“On behalf of our Chief Justice, we are grateful for the opportunity given to Ghana to be part of this transformation in justice delivery through the use of technology.”

On his part, the Director of Studies at the National Judicial Institute in Abuja, Nigeria, Gabriel Tor described the Tanzanian experience as “enlightening,” particularly with regard to the independence of the AG’s office.

“This has been an eye-opener. The separation of the Attorney General from the Ministry of Justice is something we think can be beneficial to Nigeria,” he said.

He added that Nigeria is keen to collaborate with Tanzania on judicial training programmes.

“We hope to explore exchange programmes where judges from Tanzania can come to Nigeria and vice versa, so that both countries can benefit from shared expertise and training,” he said.

The visit is part of a broader initiative by AfricanLII and GIZ to strengthen rule of law and improve judicial transparency across the African continent through digital tools and regional partnerships.