Legal Aid Commission in Ghana faces severe staffing and office shortages

The Legal Aid Commission in Ghana is facing critical shortages in staffing and infrastructure, limiting its ability to provide legal services to vulnerable citizens. During the launch of the 2026 Legal Aid Week, Board Chairman and Supreme Court Judge Justice Samuel Kwame Asiedu Adibu revealed that the Commission operates only 45 offices across 261 districts and is present in only 10 of the country’s 16 regions.

Justice Adibu noted that the Commission currently has a staff strength of 190 but requires approximately 180 additional personnel to meet its mandate. He warned that while courts and police stations may be available in many areas, the lack of lawyers or paralegals prevents indigent individuals from meaningfully engaging with the justice system.

Kwesimintim Member of Parliament Philip Fiifi Buckman also called for urgent government intervention to re-resource the Commission with more lawyers and district-level offices. Buckman emphasized that lack of access to justice could undermine democracy and lead individuals to take the law into their own hands. The Parliamentary Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee intends to engage the Attorney-General to secure necessary support for the Commission.