Mahama Signs Historic Bill Ending Ghana School of Law Monopoly
New law allows accredited universities to offer professional legal training in Ghana
- President Mahama has signed the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025 into law.
- The new law ends the Ghana School of Law’s 66-year monopoly on professional legal training
- Accredited universities can now offer professional law courses in Ghana
President John Dramani Mahama has signed the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025 into law, paving the way for major changes in Ghana’s legal education system and officially ending the Ghana School of Law’s decades-long monopoly on professional legal training.
The new legislation is expected to significantly widen access to legal education by allowing accredited universities and institutions to offer professional law courses, a role previously reserved exclusively for the Ghana School of Law (Ghana School of Law) for the past 66 years.]
For years, concerns had mounted over limited admission opportunities at the Ghana School of Law, where thousands of qualified LLB graduates struggled to secure places due to restricted capacity and a highly competitive entrance examination process.
Speaking after assenting to the bill on Monday, May 11, President Mahama said the law is intended not only to maintain high standards in legal education but also to create broader opportunities for aspiring lawyers across the country.
“This particular act has been one that many aspiring lawyers have been looking up to,” he stated.
The reform has been widely viewed as a major milestone in addressing long-standing barriers within Ghana’s legal training system. Civil society groups, students, and legal practitioners had consistently pushed for changes to make professional legal education more accessible and inclusive.
Under the new law, universities and institutions that meet regulatory requirements and receive accreditation will now be eligible to run professional legal education programmes, opening a new chapter in legal training in Ghana (Ghana).
