CHIEF Justice Prof Ibrahim Juma, has called on High Court judges and division heads to embrace technological advancements, shift their mindset and enhance their professional knowledge to keep pace with the changing landscape of the judicial sector.

Addressing their annual meeting here yesterday, he emphasized the need for transformation in thinking and approach, underlining that meaningful judicial reforms cannot succeed without a major shift in mindset.

Pointing to significant government investment in modernising the judiciary, he urged court officials to leverage technology to improve case handling and reduce case backlog, as adopting technological systems saves time and costs.

It similarly reduced the burden on the prison service in transporting remand prisoners to court, he stated, noting that last year the judiciary began digitizing all court documents, a milestone. “It's important to assess whether the positive steps we’ve taken are being sustained or if they are fading over time," he emphasised.

Substantial investment made in the judiciary must produce tangible benefits, citing the use of artificial intelligence as it helps judges and magistrates to access critical information and solve challenges.

AI could assist in making informed decisions, especially if regularly updated and programmed to adapt to new challenges, including improving case processing and hearing efficiency, he stated, encouraging judges and magistrates to pursue further education in technology-related fields.

There are courses like PhD in computer for lawyer programming which they can access, or conducting research to uncover hidden patterns in criminal cases, particularly murder, rape and sexual assault to better serve victims.

Principal Judge Dr Mustapher Siyani said the participants will discuss various issues related to court performance and provide an opportunity for self-evaluation concerning the implementation of the judiciary's strategic plan, vision and mission.

Justice delivery had improved as the average time taken to conclude cases in 2024 had decreased to 78 days, six days shorter than the 84-day average recorded in 2023, he said, highlighting that setting specific targets for case resolution had contributed to improving the speed of justice delivery.

However, significant disparity remains in case completion rates among judges, he said, noting that of the 104 High Court judges, 17 managed to meet the target of resolving 220 cases per year. Deliberate efforts are needed to address this gap, he asserted.

Judge Rose Ibrahim, resident judge for the Morogoro Zone of the High Court, praised efforts to widen exposure of senior court officials to advanced technological applications, equipping them with modern skills.

The judiciary is educating the public on legal matters to help them navigate and address specific challenges effectively, she added.