By Jones Anlimah
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) says its office at Dzolokpuita in the Ho West District of the Volta Region is operating with only one staff member, a situation the Commission says is affecting its ability to effectively deliver its mandate.
The Acting Volta Regional Director of CHRAJ, Mr Christian Kpatsi, disclosed this when the Parliamentary Select Committee on Independent Constitutional Bodies visited the Commission’s regional office in Ho.
He said the situation was particularly worrying because the lone staff member was required to handle responsibilities that would ordinarily be shared among several officers.
Mr Kpatsi said the Commission’s staffing structure required district offices to have personnel for investigation and administrative functions, but the Dzolokpuita office was currently operating with only one investigator.
He said the staffing situation placed considerable pressure on officers and could affect the Commission’s ability to promptly attend to complaints and other matters brought before it.
“We have 49 staff for the whole region,” he said, explaining that the available workforce had to serve the Commission’s operations across the region.
Mr Kpatsi said the Commission was therefore pursuing measures to augment its human resources, including engaging national service personnel where possible.
He, however, noted that national service personnel could not fully replace permanent staff because some of the Commission’s work, particularly investigations, involved sensitive and confidential matters.
The Acting Regional Director said CHRAJ continued to receive and process complaints relating to human rights, administrative justice and corruption despite the staffing constraints.
Between January and August 2026, the Volta Regional Office recorded 787 complaints, with 223 cases still pending at the end of August.
Mr Kpatsi said many of the complaints were resolved through mediation, which allowed the Commission to settle disputes without requiring complainants to go through lengthy and potentially costly court processes.
He said other cases required detailed investigations, including gathering documents and engaging the parties involved before decisions could be reached.
Mr Kpatsi also cited inadequate funding and logistical challenges as constraints affecting the Commission’s operations across the region.
He said limited resources made it difficult for the Commission to adequately support its district offices and undertake its activities across the region.
Despite the challenges, he said CHRAJ had intensified public education, conducting about 555 programmes across the region between January and August 2026.
He said strengthening the human-resource capacity of district offices, including the Dzolokpuita office, was necessary to enable the Commission to respond effectively to complaints and promote human rights and administrative justice.
The Parliamentary Select Committee’s visit forms part of its engagement with independent constitutional bodies in the Volta Region to understand their mandates, operations and challenges.
