In a bid to tackle inadequate facilities for students and faculty members, the University of Ghana School of Law (UGSOL) has commenced the construction of a new building complex at its new site near the Toyota Ghana-UG School of Engineering Training Centre.
Authorities reiterated that the lack of space for students—which is linked to the rise in student population—was the driving force behind the demand for a new facility.
The official launch of the UGSOL Alumni Homecoming Week and Sod-Cutting Ceremony of the New Building Complex on Monday, October 30, 2023, had representations of dignitaries within and outside the school deliberate on the theme “Investing in Excellence and Empowering the Future of Legal Education in Ghana.”
These included the Chief Justice of Ghana, Her Ladyship Justice Getrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, Vice Chancellor, Professor Nana Aba Appiah-Amfo, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gordon A. Awandare, Pro Vice-Chancellor for the College of Humanities, Professor Daniel Ofori, Dean of UGSOL, Professor Raymond A. Atuguba, President of the Ghana Bar Association, Mr. Yaw Acheampong Boafo, and a representative of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame.
In her remarks, the Chief Justice, Mrs. Getrude Torkornoo, said that the facility, while serving the needs of people with special needs, will serve as a home for six research centres that will produce cutting-edge knowledge to support reforms in the legal community.
According to her, the project will showcase a world-class facility surpassing those available to many schools of law around the globe.
“It is reflective of the spirit of leadership and excellence at the University of Ghana and the School of Law,” she added.
Her ladyship, Mrs. Torkonoo, observed that the new facility will maintain the school of law as a pacesetter in the creation of newer faculties that deliver quality programmes and ultimately enhance the rule of law.
The Vice Chancellor for the University of Ghana, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, touted the pioneering role of the UGSOL in helping in the development of law programmes in other universities and providing mentoring and affiliation support to other institutions.
She added that the homecoming ceremony is a cherished tradition that aims at reuniting alumni, faculty, and students from various generations while providing a platform for social networks.
On the facilities to be embedded in the project, she expressed how intrigued she was with the Vice Chancellor’s lounge, the gym, and the baby bay, which she said was a positive initiative.
On his part, the Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor Gordon A. Awandare, stated that the infrastructure they are about to put in place is not just brick and mortar but rather a project to improve the quality of legal training in Ghana and the overall student experience.
He disclosed that it was through the benevolence of many individuals and institutions that the alumni’s education in the UGSOL became a success.
He therefore urged the alumni and stakeholders of the school to contribute handsomely for the next generation to reap its benefits.
The project
With regards to the architectural makeup and related facilities for the new building, the Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee, Kwame Gyan, recounted that the vision for the project is to respond to the increasing number of students.
He explained that the new building complex will have a reception area that will serve as a waiting area, a 1,500-seat auditorium, two 1,000-seat lecture rooms, a 2,500-seat lecture hall, a 4,250-seat lecture hall, and an 8,125-seat lecture hall.
Additionally, he said the new building complex will have a 1,665-seat lecture room, 14 Ph.D. rooms, a 500-seat moot court room, a 250-seat moot court room, a Dean’s Secretariat, 3 offices for Heads of Departments, 4 offices for the Administrative Unit, 11 office areas for various units, 6 office areas for various programmes, a conference room, and 90 faculty offices, 3 staff lounges, a gym area, cafeteria lounge, sky bar, a vice chancellor’s lounge, a sick bay, and a baby bay for breastfeeding mothers.
Mr. Gyan appealed to the various state institutions, law firms, corporations, and corporate individuals to donate to make the project a reality via ugsol-fundraising@ug.edu.gh or 0303963750/0303958555
Mr. Ahmed Dodo, the project architect, said that their design for the proposed project satisfies all the criteria of fine architecture.
“The building is not only for today’s generation but for the next generation—we have a modern building that is permeable with high standards accepted worldwide. The building will have elevators, and the large lecture halls, which will be on the ground floor, will be built with solid blockwork, which will reduce the need for maintenance,” he said.
“Solar panels will be introduced to provide common and public light for the institution. The building will have 300 parking spaces and 10 parking spaces for VIPs and buses. The project aims to have a very modern, complex building,” Mr. Dodo added.
Background of the UGSOL
The School of Law of the University of Ghana is the premier centre for legal education in Ghana and continues to lead the way in establishing students for the legal profession. The school was first established as a department of the Faculty of Social Studies in the 1958–1959 academic year and became a fully developed faculty in the 1960–1961 academic year.
