Committee Report on Legal Education expansion adopted by parliament

Parliament has adopted a report from its Constitution and Legal Affairs Committee supporting reforms aimed at expanding legal education, strengthening professional training and improving public awareness within the legal sector.

The Legal Education Reform Bill was laid before the House on 24 October 2025 by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dominic Ayine, who said the proposal is designed to broaden access and remove the Ghana School of Law’s long-standing position as the only institution mandated to train lawyers.

During debate on the committee’s report, the Majority Leader and MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, said the bill provides for the creation of a National Council for Legal Education.

He said the council would be responsible for accrediting university law faculties to train lawyers and for supervising a national bar examination, creating a single pathway for entry into the profession regardless of where candidates are trained.

Lawmakers on both sides of the House broadly endorsed the push to open up legal education, but warned that expansion must not come at the expense of standards.

They argued that while the reforms are meant to democratise access, strong quality controls are needed to protect the profession’s integrity.

Parliament’s adoption of the report signals a clear policy direction: a restructured legal education system that balances wider opportunity with professional rigour.