By Akosua Frema Frempong and Faustina Siaw
The 2024 batch of students admitted to pursue a Bachelor of Law Degree, LLB, at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), have been inducted into the Faculty of Law at a ceremony in Kumasi.
It was conducted by a Kumasi High Court Judge, Justice Mrs. Hannah Taylor.
The induction ceremony would enable them to officially hold themselves as students and begin academic studies towards achieving a bachelor’s degree in law.
It was also to emphasise the duty that comes with the pursuit of legal education and the law profession.
The Acting Dean of the Faculty of Law, Dr. Chris Adomako-Kwakye, appealed to the Alumni and well-meaning Ghanaians to support the Faculty of Law in putting up its permanent building to accommodate the ever-increasing student population.
“This building was built by GETfund to be used temporarily. Now that we are 20 years old, it is time to build a permanent structure for the faculty and also get suitable accommodation for the law lecturers,” he revealed.
Dr. Adomako-Kwakye hinted that a Master of Law degree programme in Media Law Reporting is being developed.
“One of the LLM courses that is being developed is media law reporting. If someone goes to court and reports on the case that is pending, how is the person supposed to do their reporting? Sometimes the reporting comes out, and then the judges are not happy about the way the reporting is done. If I want to report from the courts what is expected of me under the law, all these things are going to be part of the one-year LLM that is being developed. And at least those of you who are not lawyers but are in the field can take advantage of that course and upgrade your knowledge,” Dr. Adomako Kwakye explained.
“Artificial intelligence, in fact, this year, those who are just in the first year, it was one of the questions we gave them. Now what should be the attitude of academia towards it. We need to look at the good aspects of AI and be able to incorporate it into our programmes. So for example, when you look at last year, we organised the Law, Science and Technology Conference, and it was meant to put together these things to be able to access because there are good things about it and we need to tap into it. So we are gradually looking at that as well. In fact, there is, of course, law, science, and technology, and two of the most needed things in it are Internet law, cyber law, and artificial intelligence. They are all in composite, and I’m happy to say that I teach on that programme. But one of my colleagues is into the Internet aspect and then the AI aspect of it. So it is now part of our curriculum that we are looking at it,” he indicated.
An alumnus of the Faculty of Law, Amina Ali Issaka, had advice for the new students.
“You might lose a loved one, suffer heartbreak, maybe even have some trials, or find yourself in a situation that will make you feel that all hope is lost. The main thing is never, ever, ever quit. What doesn’t break you will only make you stronger and shape you to become the person you want to become. Finally, you should be bold and not be afraid to chase and take advantage of opportunities or take a bold stand if certain decisions will ensure realignment with your goals. Also, identify a mentor and allow yourself to be guided. But do it with caution. The legal profession is an exercise in continuous learning, and you can never be the fountain of all knowledge,” she advised.
Twenty-three students, with a majority being females who excelled in the previous year’s exams, were awarded.
