ABSTRACT:
Access to Justice in Africa will be facilitated where the administration of justice is embodied in a setting with a genuine separation of powers. This paper will attempt to examine the emerging issues and challenges in the administration of justice in Africa with Cameroon as a case study. We shall also, offer suggestions to solve these challenges.

In an ideal situation where there is a true separation of powers, the judiciary should be able to control the excesses of the executive and legislature when they recklessly jump their constitutional boundaries. This instills confidence in the system and encourages ordinary citizens to fearlessly seek redress from the courts.

In Cameroon, we have a judiciary that by the legislative act is intentionally placed under the tutelage of the executive which executive by party rule controls the legislature. With such a carefully crafted democratic dictatorship, access to justice becomes a far cry to potential victims of the powerful.

CHALLENGES.

We have identified some challenges in access to justice in Africa as follows.
- Excessive and overbearing executive powers over the judiciary
- Powerful political personalities
- Prisons jam-packed with non-convicts.
- Lack of information
- Bad laws and
- Corruption

Suggestions
Access to justice is a fundamental core value in the administration of justice which gives the population belief in the system. For this reason, it is the duty of every actor in the field to ensure that this right is not only protected but perpetually available. To cure the lacunae created by the emerging and existing challenges to exercise this right, we shall put forth the following suggestions to ameliorate the African situation.

1- Enforcing strict separation of powers in the constitution and in governance
2- Prisons should be meant for prisoners (convicts).
3- Put up a vigorous fight against corruption in the judiciary.
4- Create government-funded community centres for legal information.
5- Lawyers should give hours for pro bono service and community services in legal assistance.

Conclusion
Legislation that clearly separates powers, the will to create a favorable environment for the free flow of information, and lawyers’ will to forgo honorarium and assist the weak, will go a long way to curbing the challenges to access to justice in the administration of justice.

Keywords: Access, Administration, Justice, Separation, Powers