Govt’s commitment to improving legal education is absolute – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says his administration’s commitment to improving legal education in Ghana remains absolute and that it is his fervent ambition to leave a lasting legacy in that regard.

Legal education in Ghana the last decade has been bedevilled with multiple challenges with the major one being student in-take into the Ghana School of Law. The General Legal Council (GLC) which is the body in charge of regulating legal education in Ghana has often blamed the challenge on the lack of adequate infrastructure for the Ghana School of Law.

Addressing attendees of the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of the first phase of the “Law Village” at the academic enclave near the University of Ghana Business School, Legon, President Akufo-Addo said, it's “his expectation that the completion of the “law village” project will expand access to legal education without compromising on its quality and ultimately assisting the administration of justice throughout the country”.

“As many more lawyers are trained, it is my hope that indeed, many more of them will join the public sector to enhance the quality of legal service delivery in the sector. I assure all of you that this project is the beginning of greater things to come for the Ghana School of Law. Government’s commitment to leaving a lasting legacy in professional legal education in Ghana is absolute” President Akufo-Addo noted.

Chief Justice

The Chief Justice of the Republic, his lordship, Justice Anin Yeboah, in his statement said the new project will certainly improve access to legal education in Ghana.

“We fervently hope that this project will be completed before the commencement of the 2021/2022 academic year which will commence in October this year. This will afford us the opportunity not only to train more lawyers, but also to do so in an environment befitting the status of the profession and dignity of our students” Chief Justice Anin Yeboah stated.

Attorney General

The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, described the new “law village” as part of the ongoing transformation of infrastructural facilities for the third arm of government, the Judiciary and other legal institutions.

“Mr President, Certain developments in the recent past particularly activities are undertaken by yourself which would have the effect of transforming the physical development of legal institutions in the country have compelled me to christen the era in which we live as “the golden age of infrastructural development of the law” the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame said.

The Law Village

The General Legal Council (GLC) through the Ghana School of Law (GSL), as part of its medium to long term plan to improve legal education, has decided to build a modern campus which will be known as the “Law Village”, on a 5-acre parcel of University of Ghana land opposite Presbyterian Boys School, Legon.

The project is essentially being undertaken to address the challenges of overwhelmed and outdated facilities at the Ghana school of law, and the traffic congestion associated with accessing the current main campus at Makola in the heart of the central business district, Accra.

Law Village Facilities

The new campus (Law Village) will among others have a state of the art 1,300-seater multi-purpose conference hall accessible to the general public, SRC Centre to include offices, common room and copy centre, 2 Lecture halls with teleconferencing facilities, Bookshop, two 500-seater lecture theatres, 15 40-seater lecture room, a modern law library complex with traditional and electronic archiving facilities, Moot court accommodating 25 – 30 people, student lounges, restaurant, Internet café, an executive hostel, offices and conference room for the General Legal Council.

Overall the Law Village will have five (5) major buildings; Academic Block, Library Block, Conference Block and Hostel Block. The complete project is estimated to cost about $55 million United States dollars and the project is expected to be executed in phases starting with the Academic Block.

The Project Team

The project team include S. Tetteh and Associates as the Architects. Dodo are the Quantity Surveyors for the project and Gtid Consult are the structural and Civil Engineers. The Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing aspects of the project will be carried out by Impact Technologies limited.