Ghana

• The Constitution of 1992, the highest law
• Acts of Parliament and other legislation
• The common law of Ghana, which includes English common-law rules and customary law
• Existing law, such as older statutes that remained in force

• The Supreme Court, which has its own exclusive power to interpret the Constitution
• The Court of Appeal and the High Court
• Lower courts and tribunals, and houses of chiefs for chieftaincy matters

A law degree, then the professional course at the Ghana School of Law and a call to the Bar, with membership of the Ghana Bar Association.

• The Constitution lists customary law as part of the common law, alongside English-style rules.
• Only the Supreme Court can finally interpret the Constitution, so other courts refer such questions to it.
• Chieftaincy disputes are handled by the houses of chiefs, in their own system.
• The legal profession is united: lawyers are both barristers and solicitors.

Nigeria, United Kingdom, Kenya, India, South Africa

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Ghana as: Common law, Customary. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Cook Islands, Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya.

• Judicial Service of Ghana
• GhaLII: Ghana Legal Information Institute

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.