Advancing Africa’s Development Through Legal Education: A Ghanaian Insight

Abstract

There is a plethora of literature on the state of legal education in Africa. Many of such works deal with structural defects in the legal educational system whereas others focus on content analysis of legal education curricula. These works are unanimous that the state of legal education in Africa requires a review of the system to meet local needs. In this paper we reiterate the issue of local content and argue that if legal education is to serve Africa well, then, it must be tailored to meet her local and contemporary needs. By extension, we also explore the missing links between legal education and development. Using Ghana and other African countries in a comparative discourse, it is our view that beyond the lamentations on the poor state of legal education in Africa lies the need for reforms. Such reforms, as is hoped, would advance Africa’s development in areas where she falls short.