The Madina Municipal Office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has stepped up public legal education by training staff of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Madina Municipality on the legal requirements for writing valid wills in Ghana.
The programme sought to deepen participants’ understanding of estate planning and the legal protections available to spouses, children, and other dependants under Ghanaian law.
Delivering the presentation, Mr John Ato Breboh, Madina Municipal Director of CHRAJ, explained that a will is a formal legal declaration of how a person wishes their property to be distributed after death. He noted that the preparation of wills in Ghana is governed by the Wills Act, 1971 (Act 360), which outlines strict procedures that must be followed for a will to be recognised as valid.
According to him, the law permits any person aged 18 years and above who is of sound mind to make a written will disposing of property to which they are entitled at the time of death. He added that the document must be signed by the person making the will and witnessed by at least two people who are present at the same time.
Mr Breboh also addressed common misconceptions about who can prepare a will, clarifying that the law does not reserve the drafting of wills exclusively for lawyers. However, he stressed that the document must meet the legal standards provided under the law for it to be upheld in court.
Touching on the rights of dependants, he explained that the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and the Wills Act provide safeguards to ensure that vulnerable family members are not left without support. Under these provisions, courts may intervene to grant reasonable provision for spouses, children, or other dependants if a will fails to cater adequately for them and hardship would result.
Participants at the event described the session as timely and insightful.
The Madina Municipal Director of the Ghana Education Service, Mr Philip Aidoo, commended CHRAJ for the initiative, noting that the programme had broadened staff understanding of wills and estate planning.
He also highlighted the importance of collaboration between public institutions in strengthening civic education within the municipality. According to him, GES had recently partnered with the Narcotics Control Commission on similar educational engagements and was pleased to extend such cooperation to CHRAJ.
Mr Aidoo expressed optimism that the partnership would continue to grow, particularly in promoting awareness among students on constitutional rights, freedoms, and other issues essential for their overall development.
