US-based Professor, Corrie Napier has told journalists that they are in Sierra Leone to provide specialized training at the request of His Lordship the Honourable Chief Justice Komba Kamanda aimed st strengthening capacity in commercial mediation.
The three-day intensive training on Foundational Commercial Mediation for Magistrates and Judges will end tomorrow, 6th May, 2026 marking a significant step toward strengthening Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) within the country’s justice system.
The training is being conducted by distinguished professors from Pepperdine University, United States, and focuses on equipping judicial officers with modern skills in Mediation, Arbitration, and Negotiation.
Honourable Chief Justice Kamanda expressed appreciation to Pepperdine University for offering the training free of cost, following his appeal for Sierra Leonean judicial officers to benefit from global best practices in dispute resolution.
“I am particularly pleased that Pepperdine University responded positively to my request to provide this training at no cost,” he said, stressing that the initiative is both timely and essential, as it forms part of his reform agenda to strengthen professional capacity among all judicial officers.
“It is my firm commitment that our courts embrace mediation as a vital mechanism for delivering justice that is accessible, efficient, and responsive to the needs of our people,” the Chief Justice said.
Honourable Chief Justice Kamanda further disclosed that the initiative stems from his participation in the African Chief Justices’ ADR Forum, where he, alongside other Chief Justices underwent similar professional training. He noted that the current program is intended to cascade that knowledge across the judiciary, ensuring that Magistrates and Judges are equipped with practical ADR competencies.
He emphasized that mediation offers an effective pathway to reducing case backlog and enhancing public confidence in the justice system, describing the training as “highly relevant to Sierra Leone and to every judicial officer.”
Credit – Judiciary of Sierra Leone Communications and Public Affairs Unit
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 6th May 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
