All 64 graduates of the fifth cycle of Professional Magistrate Training Program (PMTP) at the Temple of Justice will be immediately placed on government’s payroll.
Chief Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay announced Friday, July 17 at program that marked the graduation ceremony of the ‘new magistrates.’
Gbeisay described the move as another step to strengthen the justice system.
“I will be remiss if I don’t thank the Minister of Finance, as arrangements have been made to place these graduates on the payroll immediately,” Chief Justice Gbeisay declared to a round of deafening applause.
The graduates, had completed a year-long professional judicial training at the James A. A. Pierre Judicial Institute.
They will be deployed to magisterial courts, particularly in underserved counties where shortages of qualified judicial officers have long affected access to justice.
In his keynote address, Finance Minister, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, announced that government had, for the first time, fully funded the Professional Magistrate Training Program, ending more than 16 years of heavy dependence on donor support.
Minister Ngafuan disclosed how the judiciary’s budget has increased from US$18.5 million in 2023, to US$33.3 million in 2026, representing an 80 percent increase over three years.
On behalf of the graduating class, the valedictorian, Josiah S. Wiah, described the training program as “a strategic investment in the rule of law and national development.