Celebrating Professor Raymond A. Atuguba on his birthday

Today, we celebrate a visionary leader, an outstanding academic, and a transformative force in legal education – Professor Raymond Atuguba. Under his leadership, the University of Ghana School of Law (UGSoL) has experienced remarkable growth and transformation. His dedication to legal education, institutional expansion, and research excellence has positioned UGSoL as a leading research hub in Ghana and beyond.

Under your Deanship:

1. The student population at UGSoL has grown from approximately 600 to over 2,000 in recent years, with the majority now being graduate students.

2. The academic staff has expanded from 20 to about 150 lecturers and 30 teaching assistants. This includes 35 full-time faculty members, 23 part-time lecturers, and nearly 100 guest lecturers—comprising professors, industry leaders, and practitioners from Ghana and abroad.

3. The number of academic programmes has increased from 6 to an impressive 41.

4. The school now boasts over 153 administrative staff across 15 specialized units: Administration; Human Resources; Academics; Operations; Admissions; Finance; ICT; Research; Projects; Communication; Fundraising; Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation; International Partnerships; and Library.

5. To date, over 2,000 master’s students have graduated from our programmes since their inception. We are currently welcoming the fourth cohort of our twin-track Master of Arts in Law and Master of Laws programmes, which focus on critical areas of national development.

6. UGSoL will soon welcome its fifth cohort of PhD students, carefully selected to address the growing demand for legal academics in faculties nationwide, as well as in public agencies and private-sector institutions requiring specialized legal research expertise.

7. UGSoL now has partnerships with over 50 international universities and research institutes, including Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, the University of Pennsylvania, Tulane Law School, the University of British Columbia, the University of Salzburg, Freiburg University, Maastricht University, the University of Gdansk, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, the Institute for Austrian and International Tax Law (WU Vienna), Sciences Po University, the University of Pretoria, the University of The Gambia, and many others.

8. Approximately 200 students, staff, and faculty members have participated in international academic exchange programmes through our spring and summer seminars at partner universities worldwide.

9. Nearly all UGSoL students who graduated last year passed the Ghana School of Law entrance examinations.

10. The school is currently incubating six research centres, with three already launched and funded: the Democratic Vigilance Programme, the Ocean Governance Programme, and the Africa Programme of Excellence on Data Governance and Digital Rights. Other initiatives include the Decent Work Programme, the Legal History for Human Rights and Development Programme, and the Law and Development Programme.

11. UGSoL is constructing a state-of-the-art $25 million Multi-Purpose Building Complex to meet the growing demands of legal education and research. This ambitious project is designed to provide modern, world-class facilities that will enhance teaching, learning, and legal scholarship.

These achievements reflect the transformative vision and exceptional leadership of Professor Raymond Atuguba. On this special day, we extend our heartfelt gratitude and best wishes for your unwavering commitment to legal education, research, and institutional excellence. Your impact on the legal landscape in Ghana and beyond will be felt for generations to come.

As we celebrate this milestone, let us reaffirm our commitment to building on this legacy and continuing the journey of excellence at UGSoL.

Happy Birthday, Professor Raymond Atuguba!