AG announces immediate implementation of legal education reforms after Presidential assent

Dominic Ayine has announced that the government will begin immediate implementation of Ghana’s new legal education reforms following the assent of the Legal Education Bill 2026 by John Dramani Mahama.

Speaking at a post-signing press conference on Tuesday, Dr Ayine said the first major step in the reform process will be the dissolution of the current General Legal Council and the establishment of a new regulatory body to oversee legal education and professional training in the country.

He disclosed that the incoming body, to be known as the Council for Legal Education and Training, will take immediate responsibility for regulating and accrediting institutions that wish to run the Law Practice Course for LLB graduates seeking admission to the Ghana Bar.

“Implementation will begin without delay,” Dr Ayine stated, confirming that the President had already signed the bill into law.

He described the legislation as a long-awaited and transformative reform aimed at expanding access to legal education and ensuring fairness in the training of future lawyers.

“This is a much-anticipated reform law that is supposed to radically reform legal education to create equality of opportunity for persons aspiring to be lawyers in this country,” he said.

For decades, Ghana’s legal education system has been dominated by the Ghana School of Law under the supervision of the General Legal Council. Critics have consistently argued that limited admission capacity has created a bottleneck, leaving many qualified LLB graduates unable to continue their professional training.

The new law is expected to significantly change this structure by allowing multiple accredited institutions to offer the Law Practice Course, subject to regulation by the newly established council.

Dr Ayine explained that both the formation of the new council and the accreditation of eligible institutions are expected to be completed within the year, marking a rapid rollout of the reform agenda.

He further indicated that government funding for the implementation process will be included in the 2027 national budget, which is expected to be presented to Parliament by Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson later this year.

Legal education reform has been a major national issue for years, with sustained calls from law students, civil society organisations, and legal professionals demanding a more open, transparent, and accessible system.

Policy observers say the success of the new framework will depend heavily on how quickly the new council is established and how effectively it enforces accreditation standards for institutions offering professional legal training.

The reforms are widely seen as one of the most significant overhauls of Ghana’s legal education system in decades.