GBA Reaffirms Presidential Role at 2025 Conference, Dispels Misconceptions

Published August 22, 2025

The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has firmly dispelled claims that it failed to invite the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, to its 2025 Annual Conference scheduled to take place in Wa, the Upper West Regional capital.

In a statement dated 21st August 2025, the Association clarified that the President was not only duly invited as Guest of Honour but had, by letter dated 1st August 2025 and referenced OPS 311/25/2817, graciously accepted the invitation. The GBA explained that the circulation of an initial conference notice prior to the receipt of the President’s confirmation has been consistent with long-standing practice, and upon receiving formal acceptance, an updated notice was promptly disseminated to its membership on 8th August 2025.

The Association further underscored that its decision to extend invitations to other professional bodies, including the Bar Council of England and Wales, was neither unprecedented nor intended to diminish the authority of the Ghanaian Presidency. Indeed, the Bar Council of England and Wales participated in the GBA’s 2022 Annual Conference held in Ho, alongside engagements in other years with the International Bar Association, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Sierra Leonean Bar Association, and the Law Society of Kenya, among others. Such collaborations, the GBA emphasised, form part of its broader commitment to fostering professional dialogue and strengthening the fraternity of the legal profession globally.

Reaffirming its fidelity to the Constitution of Ghana and its own constitutional mandate, the GBA reiterated its non-partisan character and its unwavering respect for the dignity of the Presidency.

The Association assured the public and its members that no act or omission of the Bar Council would be intended to undermine the office of the President. Rather, the 2025 Annual Conference, convened under the distinguished patronage of President John Dramani Mahama as Guest of Honour, stands as further evidence of the Association’s resolve to preserve the institutional integrity, independence, and collegial character of the Ghanaian Bar.