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RETHINKING LEGAL EDUCATION IN GHANA: IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE LAW

INTRODUCTION Legal education in Ghana stands at the crossroads of significant reform. For decades, aspiring lawyers have navigated a two-stage process: first, an academic LLB degree obtained at a university, followed by a competitive entrance examination into the Ghana School of Law (Makola) for professional training. This system has produced countless lawyers, yet it has also faced persistent criticism for its bottlenecks, exclusivity, and opacity. The ongoing reforms — which propose removing the General Legal Council’s (GLC) direct role in training and introducing a centralized bar examination — are therefore a welcome development. They promise broader access, greater transparency, and alignment with professional qualification models such as ACIB, ACCA, or CIMA. In an earlier article, “ The Law, Common Sense and Wisdom,” published in the Business & Financial Times on 18th November 2023, I reflected on Justice Senyo Dzamefe (JSC)’s observation that “ there is a difference be...
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“LEARNED” NO MORE?: AI AND THE QUIET REVOLUTION IN LEGAL PRACTICE

  INTRODUCTION In the quiet of a courtroom, tradition often feels invincible. Legal robes, solemn judges, and the weight of precedent define a space long thought immune to disruption. Yet in a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries from medicine to finance, the legal profession has clung to the belief that it is untouchable. Its rituals, reasoning, and rhetoric have seemed too human, too intuitive, too nuanced to replicate. But even here, change has arrived—not as a junior advocate, but as a digital legal assistant. As a digital rights advocate with an appreciation for law and information technology , I have long been intrigued by the intersection of technology and justice . Motivated by AI’s evolving capabilities, I developed a legal assistant tool capable of analysing judgments, identifying legal issues, predicting appellate outcomes , and supporting litigants—particularly those who, under Ghanaian law, are entitled to represent themselves. The my...
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WEBSITE PRIVACY STANDARDS : IS GHANA’S DATA PROTECTION COMMISSION FALLING SHORT?

  INTRODUCTION In the digital age, having a web presence is more than just an aesthetic exercise involving colours, fonts, images, and user-friendliness. Websites, particularly those that interact with users and collect personal data, must comply with legal standards concerning data protection. Data controllers (website owners) who collect personal data from website users (data subjects) have a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure compliance with data protection principles. Unfortunately, in Ghana, many websites fail to meet these obligations, leaving users exposed to privacy risks. Surprisingly, even the Data Protection Commission (DPC)—the regulatory body responsible for enforcing compliance—exhibits gaps in meeting its own standards. This article examines the fundamental legal requirements for website data protection, assesses the compliance of Ghana’s Data Protection Commission website, though under construction but collecting and processing data and highlights the ...
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