Chief Justice Torkornoo (2nd from Right), President Akufo-Addo and Attorney General Yeboah Dame
President Akufo-Addo has praised Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame for his vision and commitment to justice delivery and for ensuring the successful completion of the complex.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo singled out the Attorney General for praise when he officially opened the newly completed Law House, a 12-story building designed to provide a modern and efficient workspace for the Office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice.
"This occasion marks a significant milestone in the development of our legal sector... I commend the Attorney General and his team for their hard work and dedication to modernising the legal service," the President stated.
The Law House, which took about 23 years to finish, features state-of-the-art facilities such as offices, conference rooms, libraries, and a canteen.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Accra, President Akufo-Addo said, "We overcame numerous challenges, including delays and procurement issues, to ensure the building's completion."
As Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame described it, "The Law House represents a giant step towards realising the dream of a modern public legal service... Consisting of 12 stories—ten stories above ground and a two-tier basement for a car park—it is a model for efficiency of the use of public land."
In his keynote address, the Attorney General expressed his commitment to modernising the legal service, citing the need for a functional, digitised working environment.
He announced plans to operationalise an integrated information management system and establish a modern electronic law library. As he noted, "We cannot have a modern legal service without a fully functional digitised working environment... A complete electronic management of all records at the office is non-negotiable."
He also highlighted the need to strengthen the office's litigating capacity, particularly in international arbitration and cases in foreign courts and tribunals. He noted that the State has achieved significant success in international arbitrations, emerging victorious in all awards given in the past four years.
He stated, "We have shown that when given the opportunity, the black man is capable of managing his own affairs."
"The commissioning of the Law House marks a significant milestone in the development of the legal sector in Ghana. The Attorney General's vision for a modern public legal service is seen as a crucial step towards enhancing the quality of legal service delivery in the country.
"In addition to the good number of offices for state attorneys, it boasts of a vast conference room, a canteen, two libraries, rooms for pupils, interns and researchers, kitchenettes, and a big space on the 10th floor for parties.
"The Attorney General's facilities include a conference room that can seat about thirty people, two specific suites for two deputy Attorney Generals, a study and a room for their assistants.
The building project period spanned the tenures of three governments – H. E J. A. Kufuor's, H. E Prof. Attah Mills's/John D. Mahama's and H. E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo's (a period of about 23 years).
The works, including preparation of drawings, preparation of contract documents and obtaining of relevant permits and statutory approvals, actually commenced in 2001 in the tenure of H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the Attorney General and Minister for Justice. The project site was handed over to the contractor on July 23, 2001.
The project was planned to be an 8-storey office facility at the initiation stage. This was subsequently revised to a 10-storey structure with two-level basements.
According to the Attorney General, "Prior to its completion, the dreadful infrastructural and logistical hardships facing the Ministry were legendary. Even at the Head Office, some of the lawyers operated from what is described in Ghanaian parlance as "containers," a situation I considered very deplorable.
"I deemed it unacceptable for attorneys who assist important institutions of State navigate the myriad of legal challenges they are confronted with, and some of whom were Ivy League scholars, to be using containers as their offices.
"Other problems principally related to grossly insufficient budget for the operations of the Ministry, lack of vehicles to facilitate the duties of state attorneys in justice delivery and severe technological challenges."
Dignitaries, including the former Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, and other government officials, attended the event.
