Accra, Oct. 13, GNA – The Legal Aid Commission, Ghana, has launched its 2026 Legal Aid Week, targeting about 20,000 people for education on their human rights through mobile legal clinics at markets and lorry stations nationwide.
The week-long celebration, from October 12 to 16, is on the theme: “Justice at Your Doorstep.”
Speaking at the launch at the Law Court Complex in Accra on Monday, Mr Edmund Amarkwei Foley, Executive Director of the Commission, said it had only 45 lawyers among its 185 staff to serve a population of about 30 million.
He said the Commission needed more lawyers, particularly in rural areas, where access to legal services remained a challenge.
Mr Foley said the Commission was prepared to post lawyers to regions and districts where suitable working conditions and decent accommodation were available, but many professionals preferred to work in urban centres.
He said the Commission would take its services directly to the people because some struggled to access its offices.
“We have realised that people have difficulty reaching us, so this time around we are going to them,” he said.
The Commission would pilot mobile legal aid clinics at Kasoa Market, Tema Station and Kaneshie Market, among other locations, to improve access to legal services.
In 2027, Mr Foley said the Commission would mark its 40th anniversary, but needed an additional 100 lawyers to expand its reach.
He cited staffing shortages in several regions, saying the Upper East and Upper West each had only one lawyer, while the Western and Western North regions had three lawyers combined.
He appealed to the Ministry of Finance to grant the necessary clearance for the recruitment of more lawyers to enable the Commission to serve more people.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
13 Oct. 2026
Reporter: Joyce Danso
Email: [email protected]