Ghana’s Legal Aid Commission is deploying mobile legal clinics to markets and lorry stations nationwide, aiming to educate 20,000 people on their rights. The rollout comes as leadership warns that the agency operates with 45 lawyers across 261 districts, leaving rural areas acutely underserved.
The agency launched its 2026 Legal Aid Week under the theme Justice at your doorstep,
marking a strategic shift toward direct community outreach. Rather than waiting for vulnerable citizens, traders, and commercial drivers to navigate physical offices, staff are taking consultations directly to high-traffic commercial hubs.
Mobile Legal Aid Clinics Roll Out Across Markets and Lorry Stations
The week-long education campaign, running from October 12 to 16, targets roughly 20,000 individuals for human rights awareness. Pilot locations include the Kasoa Market, Kaneshie Market, and Tema Station. Executive Director Edmund Amarkwei Foley explained the operational shift during the launch at the Law Court Complex in Accra.
Traditionally, access to justice will mean that you make your services available, but the people come to you. We have realised that it is difficult sometimes for people to get to us, so we are going out to them.
Edmund Amarkwei Foley, Executive Director of the Commission, via Graphic Online
The commission plans to integrate these marketplace visits as a regular feature of its daily operations. According to the Ghana News Agency, the agency relies heavily on volunteer lawyers and intends to expand these mobile efforts to reach communities that lack physical access to regional offices.
Severe Staff Shortages Cripple District Expansion
Behind the outreach initiative lies a severe staffing bottleneck. The commission maintains roughly 185 total staff members nationwide, which includes approximately 45 lawyers to serve a population exceeding 30 million. Vacancies have accumulated due to retirements, resignations, and deaths.
We have been, as management of the commission, we have been careful not to open new offices because of our staffing constraints.
Edmund Amarkwei Foley, Executive Director of the Commission, via Citinewsroom
Physical offices currently operate in only 10 of Ghana’s 16 regions and 45 of its 261 districts. Regional staffing disparities remain pronounced. The Upper East and Upper West regions each retain a single staff lawyer to handle both civil and criminal cases across entire jurisdictions, while the Western and Western North regions share a combined total of three lawyers.
Poverty Strains Demand as Leadership Appeals for Financial Clearance
Board Chairperson Justice Samuel Adibu Asiedu, a Justice of the Supreme Court, pointed to a Ghana Statistical Service multidimensional poverty report during the launch. The data indicates that 7.3 million residents—representing about 20 per cent of the population—are multidimensionally poor, with 43.8 per cent of that group experiencing severe poverty.
Legal aid is, therefore, not charity. It is an essential component of a fair and accessible justice system, ensuring that poverty does not become a barrier to justice.
Solicitor-General Helen Zeru, on behalf of the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, via Graphic Online
Ahead of its 40th anniversary in 2027, the commission stated it requires an additional 100 lawyers to adequately scale its footprint.