Parliament has passed the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025, introducing major changes to Ghana’s legal education system, including ending the monopoly of the Ghana School of Law and allowing accredited universities to offer professional law programmes.
The bill, passed on Thursday after completing all legislative stages, seeks to expand access to legal education by decentralising professional training and introducing a National Bar Examination to replace the current entrance system.
A key feature of the reform is the establishment of a new Council for Legal Education and Training, which will regulate legal education, set curriculum standards, and oversee institutions offering the Law Practice Training Course. Approved universities will now train students for the Bar, shifting focus towards more practical, clinical legal education.
The legislation also introduces a Law Practice Training Course to better prepare candidates for the National Bar Examination, aimed at improving quality and accessibility within the legal profession.
Commenting after the passage, Majority Leader and Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga, described the move as a fulfilment of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s campaign promise to promote fairness and equal opportunity in legal education.
“As has been typical of the NDC, promises made are delivered,” he stated, adding that the reforms would ensure improved access for law students across the country.
On the other hand, Minority Leader and Effutu MP, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, while supporting the bill, criticised the government for failing to deliver on other campaign promises, including the establishment of a women’s bank.
He noted that although the bill had bipartisan support, the government must show equal commitment to other pledges made to Ghanaians during the 2024 elections.
The passage of the bill marks a significant shift in Ghana’s legal education landscape, with expectations that the reforms will broaden access and modernise professional legal training in the country.
