Parliament passes Legal Education Reform Bill 2025

Parliament has approved the Legal Education Bill, 2025, ushering in sweeping reforms aimed at restructuring Ghana’s legal education system.

The legislation establishes a Council for Legal Education and Training, which will oversee the regulation of legal education and set uniform curriculum standards across institutions.

A major highlight of the Bill is the decentralisation of professional legal training, moving it from the Ghana School of Law to accredited universities. Under the new arrangement, approved universities will offer a Law Practice Training Course to prepare candidates for the National Bar Examination.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, said the passage of the Bill reflects the National Democratic Congress’s commitment to improving access, equity and fairness in legal education.

“As has been typical of the NDC, promises made are delivered. We promised law students that if they vote for us, we will carry out reforms that will ensure equity, fairness and access to legal education,” he stated.

However, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, criticised the government, arguing that while the reform is commendable, it must be matched with delivery on other campaign promises.

“All of us have participated. This is not a bill that is identified with a particular party. I concede that indeed they made it a campaign promise. Mr Speaker, however, they equally promised that they were going to set up a bank for women. We are done with year one, year two, we have not seen the Women Bank,” he said.

The passage of the Bill marks a significant shift in legal education, with authorities expecting it to expand access and modernise professional training for aspiring lawyers in Ghana.