Legal academics should return to law and development research – Prof. Justice Date-Bah

Retired Justice of Ghana’s Supreme Court, and international academic, Professor Justice Samuel Date-Bah has urged legal academics to renew research endeavors in the area of law and development, especially transdisciplinary research. 

He says by so doing, it would show how the legal system can better contribute to Ghana’s development in specific areas. 

“It is true that there have been some epic of flow of the law and development movement. Ladies and gentlemen my view is that, law and development remains an important perspective through which we view the legal system," he said. 

He was speaking on the role of the Ghana legal system to development at the third KNUST Faculty of Law Eminent Legal Scholars and Lawyers Public Lecture. 

He largely stressed that the Ghanaian legal system has played and continues to play an important role in Ghana’s development process.

He noted these were evident in the areas of contracts and commercial law, land and customary law, constitutional law, criminal law and taxation law. 

“The legal profession needs to recognize this fact and bear it mind when its members are carrying out their various daily black letter responsibilities. Judges, legal practitioners and law teachers should be conscious of their dual role as social engineers as well as implementers of the black letter law.”