The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame has presented a riveting praiseworthy review of Justice Samuel Kofi Date-Bah at the recently organized Lifetime Achievement Award organized by the UPSA Law School at the Labadi Beach Hotel.

The event, the first of its kind, presented an opportunity for a formal recognition of the stellar achievements of the judge whose previous professional backgrounds included experiences as an international civil servant and academic.

In a powerful but nuanced speech, AG Dame eulogized Prof. Justice Date-Bah whom he described as a ‘colossus’. Speaking to a cross-section of law lords led by the honourable Lady Chief Justice, university dons, diplomats, chiefs and a rich mix of professionals, the AG delivered a poignant speech on the life and achievements of Prof. Justice Date Bah.

Opening with an excursive narrative on the academic achievements of the accomplished judge and international civil servant, AG Dame highlighted the distinguished contributions of Justice Date Bah emphasizing his illustrious judicial career as representing something of a pinnacle in his rich professional work.

Significantly, the Attorney General seized the opportunity to revisit cases in which Justice Date Bah gave rulings led to, in his view, problematic outcomes for the development of the law in Ghana, and jovially took swipes at some of these decisions. Speaking anecdotally, he mentioned cases like Ransford France vrs. Electoral Commission & Attorney-General, in which Justice Date-Bah balanced upholding the rule of law against what he considered to be the national interest.

Reiterating his continuing frustrations with the precedential effect of the decision, AG Dame stressed, “However, to date, I hold a little friendly grudge against him for that decision. It is my hope that the Supreme Court, in future, would revisit and review the effect of the decision in Ranford France”.

Yet, within the context of the general tenor of his speech, the Attorney General was full of praise for the jurisprudential legacy left by Justice Date-Bah. Describing his judgment as exuding legal substance and transcending the statement of “a set of rules and regulations”, he praised the legacy effect of Justice Date-Bah’s judgments in cases as Republic vrs. High Court, Accra; Ex parte Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice Republic vrs. High Court, Accra; Ex parte Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Attorney-General vrs. Balkan Energy Ghana Limited, Adofo vrs. Attorney-General and Cocobod, Republic vrs. Court of Appeal, Ex Parte Anthony Thomford, Asare v.

Attorney-General, and Ahumah-Ocansey v. the Electoral Commission. While noting that some of these decisions have influenced the adoption of appropriate legislation, AG Dame was equally quick to stress the depth of these decisions and how critical distinctions and clarity have been brought by Justice Date-Bah to jurisdictional issues such as judicial review at the High Court level and that sought within the Supreme Court.

The AG’s speech straddled the various professional facets of Justice Date-Bah and emphasizing his scholarship, he opined that Justice Date-Bah's book “Selected Papers and Lectures on Ghanaian Law” “is a collection trove of Ghana’s legal history as he explored topics like “the historical origins of legal education in Ghana” and asserted that the current model of legal education in Ghana is best suited to our circumstances and should be changed only after careful thoughts…”.  

Concluding his presentation, the Attorney-General stressed the importance of recognizing personalities like Justice Date-Bah and commended the UPSA Law School for the program.