Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has thrown his weight behind the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) to become one of the first universities accredited to run the country’s new Bar Practice Programme.
According to him, the institution is well-positioned to lead legal education in northern Ghana.
The endorsement follows the passage of the Legal Education Reform Act, 2026 (Act 1170), which ended the Ghana School of Law’s long-standing monopoly over professional legal training and paved the way for accredited universities to offer a one-year Bar Practice Programme for their Bachelor of Laws (LLB) graduates.
Addressing the Second Congregation of the UBIDS School of Law and a special graduation ceremony for the School of Graduate Studies in Wa on Saturday, Mr. Bagbin said he was aware that the University’s Governing Council was working to secure accreditation for the School of Law to run the programme.
He pledged his full support for the initiative, expressing confidence that UBIDS had the capacity to become one of the institutions selected under the new legal education regime.
“I understand that the University Council is positioning the UBIDS School of Law to become one of five universities to be accredited to run the Bar Practice Programme. I fully support this effort because UBIDS is strategically placed to serve northern Ghana and expand access to quality legal education,” he stated.
Under the new law, universities accredited by the General Legal Council will be permitted to provide the one-year Bar Practice Programme to prepare LLB graduates for a standardised national Bar examination before they are called to the Bar.
The Speaker noted that the reforms were designed to broaden access to professional legal education, address longstanding capacity constraints, and produce more lawyers to meet the country’s growing legal needs.
As part of his support for the School of Law, Mr. Bagbin donated a collection of law books to strengthen teaching and learning, and announced plans to meet the University’s Governing Council later this month or in early August to discuss additional ways of supporting the institution.
He commended the Governing Council, chaired by Prof. Benjamin Kumbuor, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Emmanuel Kunchebe Derbile, management, faculty and students for the progress the university had made despite years of financial and infrastructural challenges.
The Speaker urged the university to continue pursuing excellence in legal education and research while positioning itself as a centre for professional training and policy development for northern Ghana.
He also encouraged the graduating law students to uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and service, reminding them that the legal profession carries a responsibility to defend justice and contribute meaningfully to national development.
By Ernest Kofi Adu