By Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo
The Acting Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, says in the ever-changing landscape of our legal world, law professionals face unprecedented challenges that demand their wisdom, resilience, and innovation. He added that rapid advancements in technology, shifting societal norms, and global interconnectedness are reshaping the way law is practised and justice is delivered.
He made the observation in a speech delivered on his behalf by a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Hafisata Amaleboba, at the 2025 conference of the Ghana Bar Association in Wa in the Upper West Region. Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo reports that the message by Her Ladyship Justice Amaleboba stressed that in spite of the changing legal landscape, law professionals must abide by the age-old values of honesty, integrity, dedication to duty, and patriotism.
She said: “As legal professionals, we must adapt to these changes while remaining steadfast in our dedication to the principles that have guided us for centuries. Even as the tools with which we prosecute our duties evolve, what remains true is that the age-old values of honesty, integrity, dedication to duty, and patriotism cannot and must not ever be tampered with.”
“Indeed, while the sustenance of our Fourth Republican constitutional democracy is the duty of the entire citizenry, our calling as members of the legal fraternity imposes a higher burden on us. So, it is my hope that during this conference, we will reflect deeply on this subject and recommit ourselves to the call that is implicit in it, and go back to our chambers ever more determined to live up to this responsibility,” Justice Amaleboba noted.
The National President of the Ghana Bar Association, Mrs. Efua Ghartey, stated that the GBA upholds justice and accountability and observed that diverse perspectives of lawyers enrich the national discourse.
“As lawyers, our diverse perspectives enrich national discourse. It is a relevance we must build on, with all neutrality and without partisanship, so that our resolve remains firm. As the beacon that sheds light on legal matters in the public space, the Bar must not ever waver in its role as the voice of the voiceless. It is therefore a source of concern when recent incidents such as the heckling of a lawyer who was defending an accused person and the detention of a lawyer representing a client were brought to our attention. We must be mindful that such unruly acts may stifle the provision of pro bono cases by well-meaning, public-spirited lawyers, which would be most unfortunate.”
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, noted that the legal profession is a vocation that enjoins practitioners to uphold justice and safeguard the Republic: “The legal profession is more than a career. It is what we Catholics call a vocation. Being a lawyer entails a sacred duty to uphold justice, defend liberty, and safeguard the soul of our Republic.”
“Fidelity to these principles and ideals is the insurance of the continuous role of the Bar as a pillar of our democracy, just as it has been since independence from colonial rule. We must admit that our profession stands at the crossroads. On the one hand, the Ghanaian Bar has produced jurists of international renown, men and women who have served as presidents of this Republic and as judges of international criminal courts.”
The Upper West Regional Minister, Charles Lwanga Puozuing, was excited that Wa is playing host to the National Bar Conference for the first time and expressed appreciation to the leadership of the Association for the decision.
He told the conference that: “For us, this decision is not a mere change of geography; it is a profound statement of inclusion. It reaffirms that the ideals of justice, democracy, and professional excellence are not the preserve of one region but belong equally to all corners of our beloved nation.”
The Council Chairman of Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS), Dr. Benjamin Kumbuor, announced that at the first special congregation of the University, held on 12th July 2025, the University conferred LLB degrees on 61 deserving graduates of the School. He pointed out that the feat was a significant milestone because, for the first time in the history of tertiary education in Ghana, and almost seven decades after independence, a university in Northern Ghana conferred LLB degrees on deserving students.
The Upper West Regional Chairman of the Ghana Bar Association, Sidiq Ubaidu, appealed to the government and major stakeholders in education to pay particular attention to the universities in the Upper West in respect of their infrastructural needs. He equally entreated the government to complete the construction of a high court which started almost two decades ago in Wa.
The President of the Bar Council of England and Wales, Barbara Mills, who addressed the conference via video, observed that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
The theme for the conference was “Sustaining the Fourth Republican Constitutional Democracy: The Role of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession”.
