The next president of Ghana will be an economist – Godfred Dame

The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has predicted that the next president of Ghana will be an economist.

The A-G made these pronouncements while speaking at the 2023 Bar Conference held in Cape Coast on Monday, September 11.

While wishing that there would be another lawyer as president of the country, Godfred Dame was convinced that the economist whose father he says was a lawyer will hold fast to the values the legal profession cherishes.

So far, three of the last five presidents under the Fourth Republic have been lawyers ( John Agyekum Kufuor, John Evans Atta- Mills and Nana Akufo-Addo).

“Throughout much of the history of post-independence Ghana, there has been a shared culture between the Bar and the higher reaches of government and the civil service. There has never been a gulf between the worlds of law and politics. A very large number of practising barristers have been members of the House of Parliament. The Speakers of Parliament Ghana has had thus far, have been lawyers. The Fourth Republic has seen three of its five Presidents so far being lawyers. Unfortunately, it looks like the next President will not be a lawyer. However, it is becoming increasingly quite clear that, even though the next President will be an economist, being the son of a lawyer, he will hold fast to the values the legal profession cherishes.”

Dame made the point to underscore the importance of the law and for that matter lawyers in the governance of the country.

He posits that Ghana can hardly thrive without the critical input of the legal profession as captured in the theme of this year’s Bar Conference, “Ensuring high standards and integrity in public life – the role of the legal profession”.

Read the Attorney General’s full speech at the Bar Conference below