By Ashiadey Dotse
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine Akuritinga, has disclosed that the government will immediately begin implementing Ghana’s new legal education reforms after President John Dramani Mahama signed the Legal Education Bill 2026 into law.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, May 11, 2026, at the Jubilee House, Dr Ayine said the first major step will be the dissolution of the General Legal Council and the creation of a new body called the Council for Legal Education and Training to oversee legal education in the country.
He said the reforms will start “without delay,” adding that the new council will take over the regulation and accreditation of institutions that want to run the Law Practice Course for law graduates who are seeking to join the Bar.
According to him, the reform is aimed at creating fair and equal access to legal training for all qualified applicants. He said the previous system limited opportunities and made it difficult for many law graduates to continue their professional training.
Under the old arrangement, the General Legal Council supervised legal training mainly through the Ghana School of Law, which had limited admission spaces. This meant many qualified graduates were unable to secure places each year.
The new law now allows multiple accredited institutions to offer the professional law course under the supervision of the new council, which is expected to expand access significantly.
Dr Ayine said the new council and accreditation process will be completed within the year. He also noted that the government will provide funding for the reforms in the 2027 national budget, which is expected to be presented later this year by Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson.
