Rule of law must reign supreme - President Akufo-Addo charges public sector legal practitioners

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that the collective effort of public legal practitioners will make Ghana a place where the rule of law is notjustspoken,but also
lived.

He said the role of the public legal service had expanded dramatically in the Fourth Republic and, therefore, awell-trained and well resourced public legal team could protect the assets of the nation, advance the rights of ordinary Ghanaians and ensure that governance of the country operated within the bounds of justice.

Addressing the maiden conference for public legal practitioners in Accra yesterday, President Akufo-Addo said as lawyers serving within the public sector,they stood as pillars of the nation’s legal framework for which their duty transcended ordinary legal practice.

“It is about embedding legal excellence and ethical standards into every facet of public administration. This is no easy feat, but it requires an ongoing commitment to professional development, coordination and a constant engagement with national policy goals,” he said.

Public sector lawyers

As members of the Bar and as public sector lawyers, he said: “The path we walk was one that demanded courage, commitment, integrity,and a ceaseless pursuit of excellence.”

In that regard, President Akufo-Addo described the conference as a testimony to the value “we place on your contributions and the recognition that without a strong legal backbone,our public service cannot function at its highest potential.”

He,therefore,stressed the commitment of the government to support the development of public sector lawyers while ensuring that their legal teams were well prepared to face the
challenges of the time.

“Together,through coordinated efforts and a shared dedication to ethical practices,we can establish a legacy of legal excellence that will strengthen the foundations of our public service,and thereby of ourstate for generations
to come,” he advised.

“Let usleave this conferencewith a renewed sense of duty and a clear understanding of our role in advancing and enhancing the rule oflaw,he added”.

Conference

The three-day conference,which is on the theme: “Coordinating legally for an efficient and cohesive public service,” is being held underthe auspices ofthe Office oftheAttorneyGeneral and it is expected to highlight the immense role played by lawyers in the public sector to promote justice and protect the interest of the public and that of the state.

President Akufo-Addo was optimistic that through their efforts,the country would build an efficient, cohesive and legally empowered public service for the benefit of all Ghanaians.

“Isupport fully theAttorney-General's drive to develop a modern, resourceful public legal service equipped and empowered to meet these new challenges”. “Indeed, since 2017, we have made significantstridesto build thisservice.

We have recruited 190 more state attorneys,including 70 whose appointmentswillsoon be finalised,”the President said.

He explained that the recruitment represented almost half ofthe lawyers currently in the Office of the Attorney-General. “Our efforts have also extended to legal departments across state-owned institutions whose staff spent has more than doubled,” adding that “today, some 600 public lawyers stand ready to serve.”

The President said by enhancing expertise in international commercial arbitration, investor state arbitration and contract negotiation,the country would not only reduce disputes,but also alleviate the financial burden those disputes placed on the exchequer of the state.

Functions

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice,Godfred Yeboah Dame,said the scope of functions of the Office of the Attorney-General dictated that they could not by themselves live up to the expectations of the nation without acting in synchrony with other legal departments of various public institutions working on behalf of the government.

He said state attorneys could not operate like they existed on an island removed from the peculiar needs and demands of the institutions they worked in.

Mr Dame, therefore, called for a regular coordination and comparing of notes with personnel of legal departments in all agencies of the state.

“We may not have an office of the legal counsel in the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, but in the spirit of the intellectual development of state attorneys” ,he said it was considered very imperative to hold the conference in order to serve asthe building block for continuous training of lawyers in public service, whether they were with his office or another state organisation.

For her part,the President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA),Efua Ghartey,who described her participation in the conference as her first public engagement since taking office, urged the public service legal practitioners to see themselves as advocatesfortheir client and not for themselves alone.

She reminded the practitioners to uphold the highest standard of ethics and integrity, stressing that“your decisions have far-reaching implications for the nation as you influence policy and set precedents”.

“It is thus important to act with utmost transparency and accountability,ensuring that your actions reflect your commitment to justice, Mrs Ghartey stated, while urging her “learned friends” to prioritise ethical considerations, vigilance against conflict of interest situations,unfairness and any corrupt practice