Ghana needs to train more lawyers for a just and fair society – Fmr GBA President

A former president of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Paul Adu Gyamfi, has stressed the need for Ghana to train more lawyers in order to achieve a fair and just society.

He discounted claims that a plethora of lawyers are being trained in the country and called for necessary actions to be taken to ensure that more ‘professional’ lawyers are nurtured for the good of the country.

He maintained that “we rather need to train more lawyers in our search for a just and fair society in Ghana.”

Speaking at the 10th anniversary of the Ghana School of Law, Kumasi, Mr. Gyamfi commended the leadership of the school for setting up the campus.

He was hopeful “our overstretched lecturers will continue to do their best to make an enduring dream possible.”

The Kumasi campus of the Ghana School of Law has among others, faced some challenges with regard to infrastructure.

A proposed permanent site has however been offered to aid development.

Mr. Adu Gyamfi believes a special fund must be set aside to train lawyers and encourage research in the field.

“A fund should be set up as a matter of urgency to promote legal education and training in Ghana,” he opined.

This fund, according to him, “will ensure the construction and maintenance of infrastructure and encourage research in law and motivate lecturers.”

Also speaking at the occasion was Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah who disclosed that the General Legal Council (GLC) will ensure “full implementation of its legal authority to enroll only students who obtain LLB certificates from universities approved by the council.”

“All institutions offering the LLB programmes will undergo a full rigorous screening process before they are approved. The criteria for assessment will include the types of programmes, academic staff and qualifications, Student-lecturer ratio, library, physical facilities among others.

“Monitoring and inspection exercise will also be intensified from time to time,” he said.