During the 2023 Bar Conference in Cape Coast on Monday, September 11, Ghana’s Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame, expressed his belief that the next president of Ghana would likely be an economist.
While he expressed his wish for another lawyer to assume the presidency, Dame was confident that the economist, who has a legal background through his father, would uphold the core values cherished by the legal profession.
It’s worth noting that in the Fourth Republic, three out of the last five presidents have been lawyers, including John Agyekum Kufuor, John Evans Atta Mills, and Nana Akufo-Addo.
“Throughout much of the history of post-independence Ghana, there has been a shared culture between the Bar and the higher reaches of government and the civil service.
There has never been a gulf between the worlds of law and politics. A very large number of practising barristers have been members of the House of Parliament.
“The Speakers of Parliament Ghana has had thus far have been lawyers. The Fourth Republic has seen three of its five Presidents so far being lawyers. Unfortunately, it looks like the next President will not be a lawyer.
“However, it is becoming increasingly quite clear that, even though the next President will be an economist, being the son of a lawyer, he will hold fast to the values the legal profession cherishes.”
Dame made the point to underscore the importance of the law and for that matter, lawyers in the governance of the country.
He posits that Ghana can hardly thrive without the critical input of the legal profession, as captured in the theme of this year’s Bar Conference, “Ensuring high standards and integrity in public life: the role of the legal profession”.