The Global Media Foundation (GloMeF) has called for a comprehensive reform of Ghana’s justice delivery system, emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen and resource the Legal Aid Commission to ensure equitable access to justice for all citizens, particularly the poor and marginalized.
According to GloMeF, despite constitutional guarantees of equal access to justice, many Ghanaians continue to be excluded from legal recourse due to the high cost of legal services and persistent procedural delays. The foundation described this situation as a “silent crisis” undermining democracy and public confidence in the rule of law.
In a statement signed by its Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the foundation said the government, together with the Ghana Bar Association, Judicial Service, and Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Department, must prioritize reforms that make legal representation affordable and efficient for all.
“The cost of justice has become unbearable for the ordinary Ghanaian,” the statement noted. “Without deliberate government intervention to strengthen legal aid and regulate legal fees, access to justice will remain the preserve of the wealthy.”
Citing findings from a recent GloMeF survey, the statement revealed that thousands of Ghanaians, especially women, youth, and rural dwellers, avoid seeking justice due to exorbitant legal fees and long court delays. Many victims of rights violations reportedly choose to “suffer in silence” rather than pursue cases they cannot afford.
GloMeF stressed that the current situation contradicts Ghana’s constitutional promise of equality before the law, as well as international human rights conventions that recognize access to justice as a fundamental right.
“It’s disheartening that even with more people entering the legal profession, legal services remain out of reach for the majority,” Mr. Ahenu said, warning that justice should not become a privilege for the rich.
The foundation urged the state to decentralize and adequately fund the Legal Aid Commission to cover more communities across the country. It also called for a review of professional fee structures and the introduction of pro bono service incentives for lawyers.
“True democracy thrives only when justice is accessible to all,” the statement concluded. “Until the barriers of cost and bureaucracy are dismantled, the ideal of equality before the law will remain an illusion.”
