Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has announced plans to provide live coverage of General Assembly and Town Hall meetings across Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

According to the Minister, he has engaged the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to roll out the programme.

In a post, he explained that the initiative aims to strengthen transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in local governance, in line with the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).

“We also hope this initiative will generate greater public interest in and participation in the upcoming District-Level Elections, while encouraging more citizens to actively engage in the decentralisation process,” he stated.

He added that the move will help build more transparent, accountable and responsive local institutions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has announced plans to introduce a new Bill to strengthen the legal framework for the discipline of lawyers in Ghana.

In an address read on his behalf by the Deputy Attorney-General at the opening of the 2026 Conference of the Ghana Bar Association, Dr. Ayine disclosed that the Bill is headed to Cabinet for review and approval before being laid before Parliament.

The proposed law, to be called the Legal Profession (Practitioners Standards Board) Bill, is expected to transform and strengthen the regulatory framework for disciplining lawyers to safeguard the rights of practitioners and promote public confidence in the profession.

According to the Attorney-General, when passed, the Bill will establish an independent Disciplinary Committee with clear rules of procedure and proposals on proportionate sanctions.

He explained that this marks a progressive departure from the existing framework where the Disciplinary Committee both investigates and adjudicates complaints. The Bill also proposes clear and strict procedural timelines for resolving grievances to avert prolonged deliberations that frustrate both clients and lawyers.

Secondly, Dr. Ayine noted that under the current framework, Superior Court judges sit on the Disciplinary Committee whose decisions, as quasi-judicial decisions, are subject to reviews and appeals in the same courts where these judges preside.

The new Bill seeks to eliminate this conflict of interest by creating a separately constituted Board composed of lay non-lawyers and professional representatives with guaranteed tenure.

The Attorney-General added that the Bill seeks to separate professional discipline from executive, judicial or competitive interference to ensure that disciplinary mechanisms are not weaponized against lawyers by clients, the Bench, or the State.

The introduction of the new law forms part of efforts by the Attorney-General to introduce reforms into the legal profession aimed at revolutionizing legal practice and training. It follows the passage of the Legal Education Act, 2026, which is currently at the implementation stage.