Digitalization and the Future of the Ghana Legal System

Subtitle

J.B. Danquah Memorial Lectures (Series 55)

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

2-2022

Abstract

As a people, we have become accustomed to enjoying the ever-increasing benefits of our technologically mediated lives. We live in a digital world, a place where engagement with digital devices, social media platforms, online commercial transactions and work have become commonplace for many of us. The overall theme of the three lectures is that, like individuals, legal systems are not immune to the impact of digital technology or the digital world that it has created. The lectures call for the Ghana legal system to embrace digital technology to advance its functions and goals.

Lecture I examines the access to justice deficit in Ghana, arguing for a broader conception of access to justice and exploring the leveraging of digital technologies to create new pathways to justice in Ghana. It argues for restrictions on advertising of legal services to be removed and for substantial investment in justice-technologies.

Lecture 2 examines the skills, knowledge, and competencies that legal education institutions must provide for students, in order to enable them to practice or work in a world that is increasingly marked by digitalization. It also explores the potential of digital technology to transform the delivery of legal education in Ghana.

Lecture 3 examines how digital technology challenges the Ghana legal system's regulatory function. It focuses on consumer protection in the digital marketplace and new working methods organized through digital labour platforms such as Uber and Bolt. It argues for statutory and judicial interventions to protect consumers and platform workers.

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