The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) has called for reforms of the country's legal system to make it more accessible, trusted and responsive to the needs of the people.
The President of the Academy, Emerita Professor Isabella A. Quakyi, said the legal system must evolve to address changing technological, environmental and social conditions while strengthening justice, accountability and the protection of fundamental rights.
She said although the law was sometimes viewed as the preserve of judges, lawyers and legal scholars, its influence extended to virtually every aspect of national life, including land administration, business transactions, environmental protection, education, health care and investment.
Prof. Quakyi made the call at the opening of the 2026 Founders' Week celebration of the Academy, on the theme: “150 years of the legal system in Ghana: Assessing relevance and responsiveness to national development.”
She said the commemoration of 150 years of formal legal development in the country presented an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of legal institutions and their contribution to national progress.
“A responsive legal system inspires confidence in public institutions. It promotes justice, protects the vulnerable, facilitates economic activities and creates the certainty upon which sustainable development depends,” she said.
Deliberations
Prof. Quakyi said the event would examine whether justice was accessible to every citizen, whether legal institutions enjoyed public trust, and whether the existing legal framework was keeping pace with societal changes.
Participants included scholars, legal practitioners and public policy experts who would further examine how legal reforms could contribute more effectively to the country's development agenda.
“As Ghana's foremost learned society, we remain committed to providing a respected, independent platform where evidence, reason and informed dialogue help shape our nation's future,” she said.
Policy engagement
Touching on the academy's activities over the past year, Prof. Quakyi said it continued to strengthen its role as a source of evidence-based policy advice and intellectual leadership despite resource constraints.
She said it had organised statutory meetings, public lectures, annual science and arts lectures, symposia, inaugural lectures and policy dialogues.
Prof. Quakyi added that Fellows of the Academy had also contributed to national discussions on education, health, governance, environmental sustainability, science, technology and economic development.
She said the Academy would continue to provide objective, credible and non-partisan perspectives on national issues, particularly at a time when societies were confronted with misinformation, rapid technological transformation, environmental challenges and economic uncertainty.
New Fellows
As part of the celebration, nine distinguished personalities from the Sciences and Arts sections were inducted as Fellows of the Academy in recognition of their contributions to their respective fields.
Prof. Quakyi said the induction was not only a recognition of outstanding achievements but also an investment in the country's future intellectual leadership.
Fellows inducted were Professor of Biomedical Engineering, David Fred McBagonluri; Professor of Epidemiology and Global Health, Ellis Owusu-Dabo; Professor of Environmental and Sustainability Science, Frederick Ato Armah, and Professor of Sociology, Akosua Keseboa Darkwah.
The others were a Senior International Civil Servant, Dr Edward Kwakwa; Professors of Economics, Samuel Kobina Annim, and Nkechi Srodah Owoo; Professor of Sociology, Michael Perry Kweku Okyerefo, and Professor of Geography, Godwin Arku.
The induction was administered by Prof. Quakyi. The new Fellows were also decorated with brooches.
