Bahir Dar, September 25, 2019 E.C.(Amhara Region Supreme Court)
The second annual conference of judges of the Amhara Region Courts is continuing with a series of trainings, presentations and discussions aimed at enhancing judges’ professional capacity, encouraging further reading and research, and fostering a shared institutional understanding.
As part of today’s proceedings, presentations and discussions were held on the digitalization of the region’s courts, draft amendments to the institutional laws governing the regional courts, and the draft guideline on electronic filing and litigation in the Amhara Regional State Courts.
Dr. Mekuanint Agegheu, Director of ICT at the Amhara Region Supreme Court, briefed conference participants on the digitalization initiatives undertaken by the region’s courts.
According to Dr. Mekuanint, the rapid advancement of technology is transforming individuals, institutions and working systems at an unprecedented pace, and courts cannot remain outside this transformation. In particular, he noted that digitalization plays a significant role not only in making judicial services more accessible, faster and more efficient, but also in strengthening transparency and accountability.
The Director explained that a court digitalization roadmap has been developed to coordinate the digital transformation of the courts. The roadmap has helped identify the areas of court operations that need to be digitalized and establish clear directions for implementation.
He further noted that implementation has included the deployment of network and data-center infrastructure, modern courtrooms and remote litigation services, security camera systems, and the development of various software applications.
At present, the Amhara Region Supreme Court, 14 High Courts, 27 woreda Courts and two correctional institutions have been supported by digital infrastructure, he indicated.
Among the digital solutions that have been introduced are electronic filing (e-filing), electronic signatures, notification systems, court-audio transcription software, mobile applications and web-based services.
The e-filing system enables litigants to submit their cases electronically from courts located near them, while the notification system facilitates the timely delivery of relevant information to judges and litigants. The mobile application also enables litigants to track the status and hearing schedules of their cases using their names or case numbers.
It was also reported that a knowledge management system, a digital library and a digital museum of the Supreme Court have been established.
Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Worku Yaze, Special Advisor to the President of the Supreme Court, delivered presentations on the draft amendments to the institutional laws governing the regional courts and the draft guideline on electronic filing and litigation.
Assistant Professor Worku explained the rationale for the proposed amendments, the process through which the amendment drafts were prepared, the key issues addressed by the proposed revisions, and the major amendments incorporated into the draft legislation.
In addition, Assistant Professor Worku provided conference participants with a detailed presentation on the draft Amhara Region State Courts Guideline on Electronic Filing and Litigation.
The presentation covered the need for the guideline, the efforts undertaken in preparing the draft, the sources consulted in its development, and the major issues addressed in the proposed guideline.
Following the presentations and explanations, participating judges put forward suggestions and comments aimed at strengthening the proposed measures. H.E. Ato Alemante Agidew, President of the Amhara Region Supreme Court, responded to the issues raised and provided further explanations.
The second annual conference of judges of the Amhara Region State Courts will continue with discussions on various thematic areas.
