President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday cut sod to signal the beginning of the Law Village project of the Ghana Law School, expressing the hope that the project would expand access to legal education in the country.
While acknowledging the fact that the project is long overdue, the President said he was happy that it was finally seeing the light of day, adding that it falls in line with the 2020 manifesto of the NPP to “…expand infrastructure to increase access to professional legal education”.
“I have been reliably informed that some 1,000 students were admitted during the 2020/2021 academic year, a development which led to the Acting Director and Management of the School taking a cue from the double track system, initiated in our senior high schools, to introduce a triple track system.
“With the 2021/2022 academic year fast approaching, the School is, again, faced with limited and overstretched facilities, hence the added importance of this project,” he said.
Project
The entire Law Village project will cost some US$55 million. The first phase of the project is to complement the facilities of the Accra Main Campus located at Makola, and that is being carried out at a cost of some US$4 million.
Once completed, the Law Village will boast of an additional seating capacity of 1,500, a number of lecture halls, a well-resourced library, residential facilities, offices, among others.
President Akufo-Addo is optimistic that the completion of the Law Village project will expand access to legal education, without compromising on its quality, and, ultimately, assist in the administration of justice throughout the country.
“As many more lawyers are trained, it is my hope that, indeed, many more of them will join the public sector to enhance the quality of legal service delivery in the sector.
“I assure all of you that this project is the beginning of greater things to come for the Ghana School of Law. Government’s commitment to leaving a lasting legacy in professional legal education in Ghana is absolute,” he said.
Ghanaian century
The President commended the General Legal Council, lecturers, management and staff of the School for their hard work and relentless efforts in educating the future lawyers of the country.
“And to you, our law students, my message to you today is simple. Our work, as lawyers, matters, because it affects profoundly the ordering of our state. You, the next generation of lawyers, have to remember that you owe a special duty to our society and nation, a duty of integrity and intellectual honesty to promote the advancement of a law-based state,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo further said the 21st century, in his estimation, will be the Ghanaian century, which will see the transition of the Ghanaian people from poverty into prosperity within the framework of democratic institutions under the rule of law.
“My vision as President of the Republic remains unchanged, and that is to help fulfill the dreams of the noble founders of our nation, who sought to build a free, united, prosperous and happy Ghana on the basis of the principles of democratic accountability, respect for human rights, the rule of law, and the dictates of social justice,” he said.
