Increasing Access Justice Services (NG0050)

Thematic Area: Access to Justice (People-Centred Justice)

Brief Description of Commitment: This commitment aims to advance people-centred justice in Nigeria by improving access to justice and strengthening Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms. It will support the institutionalization of Community Justice Centres (CJCs) in close alignment with existing ADR me, expand community-based mediation services, and enhance collaboration between justice institutions and citizens. Through legislative advocacy, legal reforms, capacity building, and public awareness initiatives, the commitment seeks to promote faster, more affordable and inclusive justice services, particularly for vulnerable and underserved communities.

General Problem / Challenge Addressed by the Commitment: Access to justice in Nigeria remains limited for many citizens due to high costs, complex legal processes, court congestion, and limited availability of community-based dispute resolution mechanisms leading to unresolved disputes and weakened trust in the justice system. Although Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms exist, they are not widely available at the community level and limit the ability to provide timely, affordable, and people-centred justice services. This commitment addresses these gaps by promoting legal reforms, expanding ADR structures, and institutionalizing community-driven justice solutions.

Specific OGP Issue(s) in Focus: Promote Transparency, Strengthen Governance and Accountability, Promote Inclusion and Empower Citizens

Rationale for the Commitment: If accessible and community-based justice mechanisms are strengthened, and Alternative Dispute Resolution systems are expanded and institutionalised through clear legal frameworks,then more citizens, especially vulnerable and underserved groups will be able to resolve justice problems in a timely, affordable, and inclusive manner.

Main Objective: A people-centred justice system that delivers accessible and community-based solutions to everyday justice needs.

Anticipated Impact: This commitment will make the judicial system more people-centred, strengthen community-based justice mechanisms to improve outcomes for citizens, reduce court congestion, and build greater public trust in the justice system

Expected Outcomes | Milestones (Performance Indicators)

Access to affordable, timely, and community-based justice services. ● Pilot CJC centres established and operational across 3 geopolitical zones with documented case intake, mediation and referral procedures.
● Justice actors in pilot zones report increased proficiency in using standardised practice guidelines for dispute prevention and resolution
● Citizens report CJC services as satisfactory (covering affordability and accessibility) of the provided services

Expanded alternative Dispute resolution mechanisms to better integrate into the formal justice system, reducing reliance on lengthy court processes.
● Formal linkages established between CJCs and formal courts with documented case flow mechanisms
● Legal framework (CJC enabling law) formally enacted
● Increased or improved ADR mechanism rates (at least in pilot zones)

Increase public confidence in the justice system.
● Media coverage or public perception surveys show improved confidence in accessibility to the justice system
● Improved perception of fairness in dispute resolution points among ADR and CJC beneficiaries by the end of implementation

Increased awareness of peaceful and collaborative ways to resolve justice problems.
● Baseline awareness survey conducted to gauge knowledge levels of ADR/mediation among target populations in the pilot zones
● Radio programs and community dialogue event conducted to share information on CJC & ADR services

Improved coordination between government institutions, civil society, and communities in delivering justice services
● Technical Working Groups have been established and meeting regularly with documented representation from key stakeholders
● Formal MOU signed between key stakeholders defining roles, responsibilities, and coordination mechanisms
● Policy directives issued by the MOJ recognizing the CJC operations and mandating institutional support
● Joint coordination mechanisms co-produce policies and/or guidelines to harmonise CJC operations with existing ADR systems and the justice sector framework
● Sustainability framework for the continuation of ADR and CJC services developed

Planned Activities | Start Date | End Date | Expected Output(s) | Output Indicator(s)

1. Train Formal and informal justice actors on the use of existing practice guidelines to prevent and resolve identified justice problems. Dec 2025 Dec 2029
● Enhanced capacity of justice actors to use standardised practice guidelines, resulting in betterquality dispute resolution, consistency in justice outcomes and increased access to justice for citizens. |
● Number of trainings held for formal and informal justice actors on the use of existing practice guidelines to prevent and resolve identified justice problems. ● Number of formal and informal justice actors trained

2. Pilot 3 community justice centres in three (3) out of the Dec 2025 Dec 2029
● Increased access to affordable and timely justice services for citizens in the three pilot zones. ● Reduced pressure and caseload on formal courts within the pilot locations. |
● Improved trust and confidence of communities in people-centred justice system ● Number of community justice centres piloted in the geo-political zones ● Number of geopolitical zones with community justice centres

3. Promote prelitigation mediation through Community Justice centres | Dec 2025 Dec 2029 | ● Increased use of mediation as a first option for resolving disputes before formal court action. ● Faster and more affordable resolution of justice problems. ● Reduction in the number of cases filed in formal courts. ● Improved social cohesion through peaceful and collaborative solutions. |
● Number of Community Justice centres promoting pre-litigation mediation ● Number of Public awareness campaigns conducted on the benefits of mediation before going to court. ● Number of cases filed in formal courts ● Establish Referral mechanisms between courts, police, lawyers, and CJCs for prelitigation cases. ●

4 Develop policy guidelines and operational frameworks for the Community Justice Centre. | Dec 2025 Dec 2029 |
● Standardized and consistent operations across Community Justice Centres. ● Improved quality and professionalism in the delivery of community-based justice services. ● Stronger coordination between CJCs and formal justice institutions. |
● Comprehensive policy guidelines for the establishment and management of Community Justice Centres developed. ● Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for case intake, mediation, referrals, and reporting developed for the Community Justice Centre. ● Clear governance and accountability frameworks for CJCs produced. ● Harmonized procedures aligned with existing justice sector policies and ADR systems developed

5 Engage Ministries of Justice and Judiciary on formal adoption of Dec 2025 Dec 2029 |
● Increased government buy-in and ownership of the Community Justice Centre model. ● Formal recognition and integration of CJCs into justice structures. ● Stronger collaboration between CJCs, courts, and other justice institutions. ● Policy directives issued to support CJC operations. ● Progress toward sustainable
government funding and institutional support for CJCs. |
● Number of High-level advocacy meetings held with Ministries of Justice, Judiciary, and relevant government agencies. ● Policy briefs/ technical presentations on the CJC model developed and shared with decision-makers. ● Number of Formal stakeholder
consultations and roundtable discussions conducted. ● Draft MoUs supporting CJC adoption prepared. ● Number of Technical Working groups established to guide government integration of CJCs.

6 Advocate to the National Assembly for the passage of the Community Justice centre | Dec 2025 Dec 2029 |
● Increased awareness and understanding among legislators of the importance and benefits of Community Justice Centres. ● Formal legislative process initiated for the CJC enabling law. ● Strengthened political will and support for people-centred justice reforms at the national level. ● Enabling law passed, providing a legal framework for the establishment and sustainability of CJCs. ● Improved coordination between the government, CSOs, and communities for justice sector reforms. |
● Policy briefs/legislative proposal on the CJC model prepared ● Number of relevant Committees of the National Assembly presented with the Policy brief/Legislative proposal ● Number of Stakeholder advocacy meetings/ consultations/ roundtables with legislators held. ● Number of Campaign materials highlighting the benefits of CJCs developed and disseminated. ● Number of position papers on the CJC developed and disseminated. ● Number of Coalition civil society organisations in the justice sector mobilised to support the legislative process.

7 Use radio programs and community dialogues to educate citizens on the use of the CJC and other ADR services | Dec 2025 Dec 2029 ● Increased awareness of ADR and CJC protocols within communities |
● Number of IEC materials on the CJC and other ADR services produced.