The MountCrest University College (MCU) has held its ninth congregation for 96 students who completed their Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme, with a call on the students to uphold professional integrity and use their legal education to promote national development.
The ceremony was held at the college’s premises in Accra on the theme: “Pursuing Excellence in Legal Education: Inspiring Leadership, Service and National Development”.
It was attended by members of the college’s governing council and management, faculty, parents, guests and representatives of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), to which the college is affiliated.
The graduates had their degrees conferred on them by Professor Christian Koranteng, Provost of KNUST’s College of Art and Built Environment, who represented the Vice-Chancellor at the ceremony.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Rector of MCU, Professor Helen Yitah, urged the graduates to see the law not merely as a career but as a calling that demanded integrity, intellectual honesty and a commitment to justice.
“The law cannot be merely a career. It must be a calling,” she said, and added that excellence in legal education went beyond memorising statutes and mastering courtroom procedures to include an ethical commitment to truth and the protection of human dignity.
She urged the graduates to demonstrate leadership through their conduct, including having the courage to speak up against injustice and refuse bribes.
“Leadership in the legal profession does not require a political title or a capacious office at a prestigious firm,” she said, and added that true leadership was reflected in the courage to speak up when necessary, even when doing so was inconvenient.
The Rector said the graduates had a responsibility to use their knowledge to help build a just society and contribute to national development.
She highlighted the achievement of MountCrest alumni who were among the lawyers called to the Bar recently.
She said 76 of the newly called lawyers were alumni of the institution, describing their achievement as evidence of the quality of its legal education.
Advice
The guest speaker, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Jennifer Abena Dadzie, urged the graduates to continue learning, seek mentorship and remain open to opportunities beyond their initial career plans.
Justice Dadzie encouraged the graduates to develop their research and communication skills and keep abreast of changes in the legal profession, particularly the growing influence of technology and artificial intelligence.
She also urged them to look beyond personal success by mentoring others and contributing to their communities.
For his part, Professor Koranteng congratulated the graduates and commended MountCrest for its contribution to tertiary education.
He also urged the graduates to pursue continuous learning, uphold integrity and use their knowledge to solve problems and contribute to Ghana’s development.
