Parliament has passed the Legal Education Bill, 2025, marking a historic reform in Ghana’s legal education system.

The legislation, which is now headed to the President for assent, ends the Ghana School of Law’s long-standing monopoly over professional legal training and opens the sector to accredited universities across the country.

The Bill establishes a Council for Legal Education and Training tasked with regulating legal education and standardizing curricula nationwide. Under the new framework, universities accredited by the Council will run the Law Practice Training Course, preparing graduates to sit for a National Bar Examination.

Speaking in Parliament, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga described the passage of the Bill as a fulfillment of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s pledge to promote equity, fairness, and broader access to legal education.

“As has been typical of the NDC, promises made are delivered. We promised law students reforms that ensure equity, fairness, and access to legal education, and today, we have delivered,” he said.

In contrast, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin urged the government to honour other key campaign promises, noting that while the legal education reform is significant, Ghanaians are still awaiting delivery on other critical pledges.

The new law represents a major decentralisation of legal training in Ghana, opening opportunities for aspiring lawyers to receive professional education outside the traditional confines of the Ghana School of Law.