The provision of legitimate and accessible justice for its citizens is one of the fundamental duties of a well-governed state. But throughout Africa the institutions of state justice are struggling to overcome problems of overload and delay, perceptions of corruption and popular distrust. Current policy prescriptions to improve access to justice are dominated by the belief that non-state, customary or informal ‘alternative dispute resolution’ (ADR) systems provide the best solutions. But research by Africa Power and Politics (APPP) in Ghana challenges this new orthodoxy: ●Both formal justice and ADR need to be provided by institutions that can guarantee fair and impartial mediation at low cost with enforceable settlements ●The state can provide such forms of justice when it combines the authority and professionalism of a national institution with the informality of procedures ●Neo-traditional dispute resolution is not necessarily the most legitimate or popular solution.