First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Akatsi South, Hon. Bernard Ahiafor, has reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to improving public access to Ghana’s legal and legislative information.
He described the rebranding of the Ghana Legal Information Institute (GhaLII) and the launch of MyGhaLII as a significant milestone in strengthening democracy, transparency, and the rule of law.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of Legal Days and the official launch of MyGhaLII at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra on Thursday, June 25, Hon. Ahiafor said the collaboration between Parliament and GhaLII marks a transformative step towards making Ghana’s laws and legislative records more accessible, reliable and user-friendly.
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He underscored the importance of access to legal information in every democratic society, noting that citizens, judges, lawyers, businesses, public institutions and civil society organisations all rely on accurate legal resources to perform their respective roles effectively.
“At the heart of every democracy is access to information, and access to information about the law is especially important,” he stated. “Citizens should be able to know and understand the laws that govern them.”
Hon. Ahiafor said Parliament occupies a central place in Ghana’s democratic and legal architecture as the institution responsible for debating, refining and enacting legislation while preserving the nation’s legislative history.
According to him, Parliament maintains an extensive archive of legal and historical documents, including Acts of Parliament, Bills, Hansards, Legislative Instruments, Constitutional Instruments, committee reports, parliamentary papers and other official records.
He explained that these documents not only establish the country’s legal framework but also provide invaluable insight into legislative intent and policy debates, making them essential resources for lawmakers, judges, legal practitioners, researchers, students and the general public.
The First Deputy Speaker described the digitisation of parliamentary records as a landmark achievement, noting that many of the documents previously existed only in physical archives or outdated formats that limited public accessibility.
The digitisation exercise includes Acts of Parliament dating back to 1957, Legislative Instruments, Constitutional Instruments and both historical and current Bills.
He said preserving these records in digital form would significantly improve legal research by making documents easier to search, retrieve and reference.
“Their availability through GhaLII advances transparency and accountability,” Hon. Ahiafor said.
Hon. Ahiafor stressed that easier public access to legal and parliamentary records would enable citizens to better understand how laws are made and how public policy decisions affect their lives.
He noted that civil society organisations would be better positioned to contribute meaningfully to legislative processes, lawyers would benefit from authoritative legal resources, while researchers would have greater opportunities to analyse legal developments and public policy.
According to him, enhancing access to Parliament’s work would strengthen democratic governance, improve accountability and deepen public confidence in state institutions.
Commending GhaLII for consolidating Ghana’s legal materials onto a single digital platform, Hon. Ahiafor said users can now search, browse, download and cross-reference statutes, parliamentary records, gazette publications, legislative history and judicial decisions without depending solely on physical archives.
He added that the platform would significantly improve legal research by enabling users to trace the evolution of legislation and understand how courts have interpreted specific laws over time.
The First Deputy Speaker called on all stakeholders to strengthen collaboration by improving publication processes, enhancing document-sharing mechanisms, ensuring timely updates and maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and reliability.
While acknowledging the importance of digitising historical records, he stressed that equal priority should be given to publishing current and future legislative materials promptly and sustainably.
He reaffirmed Parliament’s readiness to continue working with MyGhaLII, Laws.Africa, AfricanLII, GIZ, the Judiciary, the Ghana School of Law, the Ghana Bar Association and other partners to expand public access to legal information.
Hon. Ahiafor congratulated GhaLII on the successful rebranding and launch of MyGhaLII and commended all partner institutions that contributed to the initiative.
He reaffirmed Parliament’s unwavering commitment to promoting access to legal and legislative information, describing it as essential to strengthening democracy, promoting accountability, enhancing legal certainty and building public confidence in Ghana’s governance institutions.