President Mahama Assents to Landmark Value for Money and Legal Education Bills to Boost Accountability

President John Dramani Mahama has officially signed two transformative pieces of legislation—the Value for Money Office Act and the Legal Education Reform Bill—aimed at strengthening Ghana’s fiscal transparency and educational landscape. The Value for Money Office Act establishes an independent body to scrutinize major public contracts and curb the rampant issue of contract padding and inflated costs. Simultaneously, the Legal Education Reform Bill marks a historic shift by ending the 66-year monopoly held by the Ghana School of Law, allowing accredited universities to provide professional legal training. These moves signal a major legislative effort to address long-standing bottlenecks in professional education and inefficiencies in public spending.

Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson emphasized that the new Value for Money Office will require a certificate for all public contracts exceeding $10 million, ensuring that state expenditures reflect fair market pricing and yield tangible value. The office, expected to be fully operational by January 2027, is part of a broader public financial management reform package integrated with the Ghana Electronic Procurement System to mitigate irregularities. This focus on fiscal discipline arrives amidst a heated political debate over the Bank of Ghana’s financial health, where Ofoase Ayirebi MP Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has challenged the Minority’s assessment of central bank losses, citing a net equity decline of GH"34.9 billion and calling for a formal parliamentary investigation.

Parallel to these fiscal reforms, the government and civil society are pushing for enhanced legal protections and judicial integrity. Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin and the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) have urged the swift passage of the Spousal Property Bill to address a legal vacuum that often leaves women vulnerable during property distribution. This legislative urgency is underscored by recent controversies in the justice system, including a petition to the Chief Justice regarding alleged judicial misconduct in high-profile divorce cases and the arrest of lawyers during the PDS-ECG probe, which legal firms have condemned as an intimidation tactic that undermines the rights of legal counsel.

On the ground, the government’s "Operation Recover All Loot" (ORAL) initiative is proceeding with several high-profile corruption trials, including cases involving illegal mining and cybersecurity scandals scheduled for court this week. However, the practical application of industrialization policies remains under scrutiny, as evidenced by reports of the multi-million cedi One District One Factory (1D1F) starch facility in Assin South falling into disrepair. As the government implements these new laws, the focus remains on whether these institutional reforms can effectively translate into greater accountability, improved justice delivery, and sustainable economic development for all Ghanaians.