Cross Country Comparison

Whatever the degree of differences in the delivery of services in the formal justice systems of Cameroon, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and Zanzibar, the challenges trend around common themes. These include excessive delays in handling both civil and criminal cases, corruption through political interference, influence-peddling, or the soliciting of bribes by low-level court administrative staff. Limited access to services for much of the population, particularly legal assistance, is also a typical experience across the continent, with the absence of remedies for handling common disputes, and the likelihood that judgments are of poor quality. 

These shortcomings are a function of stretched national budgets, which are usually small even as the wage bill for civil servants may take a notable slice.