Thesis Title:
'Guilty until proven innocent': An Assessment of Ghana's pre-trial detention legal regime and its human rights implications, in contradistinction to Canada's criminal justice system.
My career path, my personal odyssey and unwavering objectives, all converge on a singular foundation: my altruistic nature. I simply cannot look the other way when I see a need, because imbibed in me are the seeds of compassion and empathy.
Born in Accra, Ghana, during the early blossoms of the 90s, I was instilled with a profound commitment to education and service by my father, who is a great inspiration to me.
I strongly believe the genesis of my true education can be traced back to the prestigious institution in the Central Region of Ghana- the esteemed Mfantsipim School – Ghana’s first and all-boys secondary school. Here, education transcended the mere acquisition of academic knowledge. It was a holistic experience that shaped young boys poised to make an indelible impact in their chosen fields for the betterment of society. It was at Mfantsipim School, that I first tasted leadership, serving as a young grounds’ prefect – an experience that would set a lifetime of influence and service.
My path led me next to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where I embarked on a journey leading up to obtaining my Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Those four years of undergraduate studies were not just a mere progression. They served to fortify my resolve and strategically positioned me to pursue a cherished childhood aspiration of becoming a lawyer.
Consequently, in 2017, I took a decisive step of enrolling in the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) where I obtained my Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and subsequently to the Ghana School of Law for my professional law course leading to the bar in Ghana.
In a world filled with endless possibilities I embarked on a life-changing journey to impact human rights and criminal justice reforms; inspired by an innate desire for justice and an unwavering commitment to overhaul Ghana’s criminal justice system.
Interestingly my career trajectory remained uncertain until the year 2018. As earlier indicated, I only aspired to become a lawyer but lacked clarity regarding my specialization. It was a field trip to Ghana’s Nsawam Medium Security Prison which definitively charted my course. The harrowing scenes I witnessed were downright unacceptable.
Prisoners endured deplorable conditions with minimal access to medical care. The quality of meals served could best be described as atrocious. Shockingly, an unacceptably large population was crammed into the cells forcing inmates to occupy space as tightly as sardines in a can. One haunting revelation from that day was that remand prisoners coexisted with convicts under the same conditions. Many of these remand prisoners languished in confinement for durations longer than they would have served if they had been tried and convicted.
My inclination to critique systemic and social injustices has always been steadfast, especially when affected by the vulnerable or the underprivileged who lack the wherewithal to advocate for their rights. As such, following my election as president of the Law Students’ Association (LSA) at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), I established the GIMPA Students’ Clinic under the patronage of my criminal law lecturer Dr. Isidore Tuffuor. This clinic aimed among other things to extend assistance to the prisoners I encountered. Collaborating with the POS foundation, an NGO dedicated to prisoners’ rights and providing legal services to indigent individuals, we significantly impacted the lives of numerous remanded and wrongfully convicted prisoners. Most of the prisoners we supported secured acquittals and discharge or made substantial headway in their legal proceedings.
My journey however continues unabated. Currently, I have the privilege of being enrolled in the University of Windsor’s LLM program, where my research will be focused on an assessment of Ghana’s pre-trial detention regime and its human rights implications in contradistinction to Canada’s criminal justice system. My thesis will be supervised by experienced Professors Danardo Jones and Sara Wharton.
In recent years, I have broadened my knowledge in preparation for my future job objectives. For instance, I interned at Legal Ink Lawyers and Notaries, a full-service law firm in Ghana, where I aided in in-depth research, legal drafting, and client conferencing. Most recently, I interned at the High Court in Accra, Ghana. Part of my responsibilities was to conduct research on matters before the court and to prepare a legal memorandum based on the research findings. The internship provided me with further professional exposure by allowing me to observe proceedings presided over by the judge. These experiences have also strengthened my advocacy, research, and critical thinking skills, which I believe are essential to my career growth.
My long-term aspirations include becoming a researcher and significantly impacting criminal justice system reforms in various jurisdictions. As a short-term career goal, I hope to acquire work experience with a progressive policy think tank or Civil Society Organization where I can use my knowledge to research and influence discussions about improving criminal justice systems and prison policy reforms.