Ghana’s Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has announced a historic overhaul of the country’s legal education system, promising to dismantle the longstanding monopoly of the Ghana School of Law (GSL) and open a more inclusive, merit-based pathway for all qualified law graduates.
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Speaking during the Government Accountability Series in Accra on July 28, Dr. Ayine declared that the Legal Education Reform Bill is ready for submission to the Cabinet this month, with the goal of making legal education more accessible to thousands of stranded law graduates.
“This is about resetting legal education,” Dr. Ayine said. “We are shifting from exclusion to inclusion. Our promise is that access will be expanded and that means abolishing the Ghana School of Law system as we know it.”
For decades, Ghana’s legal education structure required all LLB graduates to compete for limited admission into the GSL, where they must complete a two-year program and pass the Ghana Bar Examination. In 2024, only 1,441 out of over 5,000 applicants secured a spot at GSL leaving nearly 70% of qualified candidates without a path forward.
Under the proposed reforms, accredited Ghanaian universities will now be empowered to offer a one-year Bar Practice Programme following the standard three-year LLB. Graduates who complete this program will then sit for a National Bar Examination similar to how the Chartered Institute of Accountants operates.
“Anyone who passes the national bar exam will be called to the bar,” Ayine explained. “This brings Ghana in line with global best practices and ends the bottlenecks that have kept so many aspiring lawyers out of the profession.”
The reform has drawn praise from legal professionals, academic leaders, and students across the country.
The Private Universities Students’ Association of Ghana (PUSAG) described the announcement as a “defining moment” and a “major victory for equity, inclusion, and access to justice.”
“The doors to the legal profession are finally being opened to every qualified Ghanaian, regardless of their institution,” said Ibrahim Issah, PUSAG National President.
Former GSL Director Kwaku Ansa-Asare, who has long advocated for more equitable legal education, was singled out for praise by PUSAG, which urged all political actors to unite in ensuring swift passage of the bill.
Roxanne Amihere, Esq, a bilingual Ghanaian lawyer practising in the UK, welcomed the reforms as long overdue. Reflecting on her own experience navigating Ghana’s legal education system before moving abroad, Amihere said the current setup has unfairly excluded “brilliant, qualified students” because of systemic bottlenecks, not merit.
“This reform could unlock access for thousands of capable LLB holders,” she said via LinkedIn. “It’s a step toward a more transparent, inclusive, and globally competitive legal profession.”
Dr. Ayine emphasized that the draft bill, sent just this week to his deputy for final review, will formally go before Cabinet in August. He reiterated that legal education will become more practical, standardized, and inclusive — not only breaking down the monopoly held by the GSL but also enhancing the quality of legal training in the country.
“It’s not just about breaking the monopoly,” Ayine said. “It’s about building a system where universities take responsibility for training future lawyers, and the bar exam becomes the true measure of qualification.”
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