Dean of the University of Ghana School of Law, Professor Raymond Atuguba, has disputed that Ghana has adequate lawyers.
According to him, the country is“completely under-lawyered” asserting that the lawyer-to-citizen ratio currently is one lawyer to 5,000 citizens contrary to the acceptable ratio of one to 250.
Speaking in an interview, Professor Atuguba emphasized the urgent need to train more lawyers in Ghana to bridge the huge deficit to better serve the population’s needs.
“… For argument’s sake, let’s stick with the highest number of 7,000 plus and then look at the lawyer-to-population ratio. The appropriate lawyer-to-population ratio is a lawyer to 250 citizens but our ratio in Ghana using the higher number of 7,000 plus is almost one lawyer to 5,000 citizens. So contrary to popular beliefs, Ghana is completely under-layered,” he said.
He said the shortage of lawyers in the country threatens its progress, as legal representation and expertise are essential for the effective functioning of various sectors and institutions.
Professor Atuguba called for a concerted effort to address the disparity highlighting the need for greater attention to legal education and training in the country.
Crime Check Foundation (CCF) has been helping some individuals who could afford the services of private lawyers get representation. Many persons are thrown into prison because they appeared in court without representation and could not make their case.
Rudolph Nandi
