Kwame AI, a Ghanaian-owned technology company, has unveiled ‘Eskwai Pro Bono’, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool designed to support legal practitioners in providing free legal services to vulnerable and indigent clients.

Co-founder of Kwame AI, Dr Joojo Boateng, said the initiative seeks to ensure that access to justice is not limited by financial capacity.

“Legal aid is crucial for ensuring that vulnerable and indigent populations have access to justice,” he told Joy Business.

The AI platform is expected to enhance the efficiency of legal aid lawyers by streamlining case research, document preparation, and analysis. Legal practitioners and their supporting staff will have free access to Eskwai Pro Bono, allowing them to process cases more quickly and accurately.

The Legal Aid Commission, Ghana, has become the first beneficiary of the initiative. The statutory body, tasked with providing legal education, advice, mediation, and representation to poor and vulnerable people, has long struggled with limited resources, employing only 45 full-time lawyers to serve a population of over 30 million.

With Eskwai Pro Bono, the commission’s 190 staff, including lawyers, alternative dispute resolution officers, and administrative personnel, can leverage the AI tool to conduct research efficiently, draft documents faster, and review cases more thoroughly using a comprehensive database of legislation and prior rulings.

Executive Director of the Legal Aid Commission, Edmund Foley, described the partnership as “trendsetting” and said it would strengthen the commission’s mandate to deliver justice.

“The relationship with Kwame AI, enabling us to use the Eskwai platform, offers our staff a unique pathway to enhance their skills in research, analysis, and professional service delivery,” he said. “Together, we aim to make Eskwai Pro Bono a household name across Ghana, Africa, and beyond.”

Dr Boateng noted that the initiative aligns with Kwame AI’s broader vision of leveraging technology to make legal services across Africa more accessible, efficient, and affordable.

“This would contribute to a more equitable and just legal system where every person has the opportunity to seek and obtain justice regardless of their means,” he added.

The developers of Eskwai Pro Bono are inviting legal aid organisations worldwide to explore how the platform can support their work and expand access to justice across the continent.