Wednesday 23rd November 2021 – The Judiciary of Namibia signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Judiciary of Zambia, the
National Judicial Council of Nigeria, the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago, the
Judiciary of Guyana, the Judiciary of Barbados, and the National Centre for
State Courts of the United States of America on automatic Case Management
System. This took place during a signing ceremony of the MoU, conducted via
ZOOM.
Hitherto, Zambia was the latest member of the consortium, having joined
hands with the Judiciaries of Nigeria and the Caribbean Region under the
auspices of the National Centre for State Courts (NCSC) in the development
of an automated Case Management System for the Courts in Zambia, on 20th
September 2019.
The Judiciary of Zambia continues to advocate for digitalisation of the courts,
which is ongoing, with a Records Management System already in place, and
is enhancing what is already in existence to a full Case Management System.
Speaking during the ceremony, the Hon. Acting Chief Justice of the Republic
of Zambia, Hon. Mr. Justice Michael Musonda, SC expressed his delight at
having Namibia join the consortium. He bemoaned the teething problems that
have impeded Zambia’s undertaking of its obligations under the MoU owing
to financial constraints but was optimistic that these problems would soon be
resolved.
Among the benefits of the Case Management System are the reduction of the
cost of doing business by the introduction of e–filing, (distance/ location will no
longer be a constraint), no reliance on the operating hours of the registries as
lawyers will be able to file electronically, and diary management to ensure that
the judges and lawyers receive instant notifications regarding ongoing
proceedings. All these ultimately lead to enhanced access to justice and
overall efficiency in the Judiciary.
