The number of state attorneys in Ghana is completely inadequate - Godfred Dame

The Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has said that the current number of state attorneys in the country is totally insufficient.

He emphasised that the insufficient number has partially caused delays in the execution of duties of the state law fraternity.

He said, “the expansion of the Ghanaian economy with its attendant period of needs calls for an enhanced public legal service, to address the complexity of emerging challenges. The number of state attorneys presently, about three hundred, is completely inadequate. This partly accounted for the inordinate delays in the delivery of opinions, legal opinions, defence claims against the state and prosecution of crime.”

The Attorney General said this in his address at the 2024/2025 Annual General Conference of the Ghana Bar Association, themed, “Peaceful, Fair and Transparent Election: The Key to Sustainable Democracy" in Kumasi on August 9, 2024.

According to the AG, Ghana needs about 1,500 state attorneys to ensure effective execution of duties of his office.

“We need about 1,500 state attorneys for a proper discharge of the functions of the Attorney General under article 18 of the constitution," he said.

Godfred Dame added that the country should employ the services of a large number of state attorneys for the public service to address the demands of the state.

"We need to embark on a massive recruitment of lawyers for public service in order to assist and satisfy the demands of the state,” he stated.

He further said, “In 2021 and 2022 the capacity of the office was augmented with the recruitment of about 60 attorneys. Processes are underway to employ a further about 70 attorneys with interviews scheduled for the latter part of this month. And this will bring the number of attorneys recruited over the past three years to 130.

“I envisage that every ministry, department, agencies or district assembly ought to be serviced by at least a state attorney, a situation whereby ministries, departments, agencies or metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies employ their own lawyers does not order well for harmony and synchronization of legal work,” he added.

Sharing his vision about the recruitment of lawyers he stated, “Thus my vision is that in the near future, to ensure cohesion in the public device and to avoid an uncoordinated approach; which leads to inefficiencies, all lawyers working for each of the public institutions ought to be employed by the office of the attorney general."

RAD/AE