Ghana Sweeps Forward with Landmark Reforms in Legal Education, Fiscal Accountability, and Mineral Governance

Ghana is entering a transformative era of governance and professional training following the enactment of several landmark pieces of legislation by President John Dramani Mahama. Central to these reforms is the Legal Education Reform Act, which aims to end the long-standing monopoly of the Ghana School of Law. Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor announced that the new law effectively abolishes entrance examinations for aspiring lawyers and standardizes admission across accredited institutions. However, the transition remains a point of contention; while Dafeamekpor has dismissed upcoming exams as unauthorized, former Director Kwaku Ansa-Asare argues that existing structures remain in place until the transition is fully regulated. These reforms are intended to expand access for LLB graduates while maintaining high professional standards.

In a parallel move to safeguard the national purse, the President has also assented to the Value for Money Office Act 2026. Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson revealed that the office will be fully operational by January 2027, tasked with reviewing single-source procurement and curbing inflated contracts. This focus on fiscal discipline comes at a critical time, as recent data from the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) highlights significant lapses in public sector accountability. Only 61 out of 185 state-owned enterprises (32%) met the April 30 deadline for submitting 2025 financial statements. While entities like the Bank of Ghana and Ghana Gas were compliant, over 100 organizations failed to report, prompting Professor Francis Dodoo, Presidential Advisor on Anti-Corruption, to call for stricter surcharges to deter the misappropriation of public funds, which has cost the state approximately GH"100 billion over six years.

Institutional strengthening is also being prioritized in the extractive and security sectors. The Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) has reconstituted an inter-agency committee, chaired by Dr. Martin Yamborigya, to enhance the monitoring and collection of mineral royalties. This initiative seeks to bridge coordination gaps between the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Minerals Commission to prevent royalty leakages, particularly in the small-scale mining sector. Simultaneously, the Ghana Police Service has partnered with the FBI for a 10-day specialized training program in Accra to modernize intelligence-gathering and combat transnational crime. On the health front, the government has committed to fully budgeting for vaccines and critical medicines by 2030 as the Global Fund begins its gradual withdrawal, emphasizing a shift toward national self-sustainability.

The political landscape is also shifting as parties prepare for future governance challenges. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has established 30 standing and sector committees to refine its policy development, with Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah leading the Policy Committee. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has resumed a nationwide ‘Thank You Tour’ to engage grassroots supporters following the 2024 elections. These internal political developments are mirrored by international cooperation, such as the EU’s commitment of over €1 billion via the Global Gateway Investment Package to support Ghana’s regional integration and development. As these legislative and administrative reforms take hold, the focus shifts to implementation and the passage of pending bills, such as the Ghana Red Cross Bill, to ensure the country’s governance framework can meet modern humanitarian and economic demands.