Ghana’s Legal Education Act 2026 is expected to open up legal training to a wider and more diverse group of students, including persons with disabilities, according to Eunice Appiah Asare, a lecturer at Central Law School.

Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (9 June), Asare said the reforms mark a shift from lecture-based teaching to experiential learning.

“We are moving away from doctrinal pedagogy to experiential pedagogy,” she said.

Under the new system, students will gain practical exposure through placements in law firms, courts and legal institutions before sitting the national bar examination.

The law also requires accredited institutions to accommodate different forms of disability, broadening participation in legal education.

“It’s not just physical disability — the law considers all forms,” she explained.

Asare said the reforms align Ghana with global trends, noting similar changes in jurisdictions such as England and Wales, Nigeria, South Africa and Canada.

She argued that the changes would better prepare graduates for a legal profession increasingly shaped by technology and artificial intelligence.

“The world is changing… these innovations will help students cope with technological developments,” she said.