BY ISSAH OLEGOR
THE legal profession has welcomed a new cohort of 1,568 lawyers, with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) graduate Akosua Achiaa Sarpong emerging as one of the outstanding performers at the 63rd Call to the Bar ceremony held at Teshie, Accra on Friday, October 9, 2026.
Sarpong distinguished herself by winning two prestigious academic awards, including the John Mensah Sarbah Award for the best all-round candidate in the Professional Law Examinations and the award for Best Student in Civil Procedure.
The ceremony also attracted public attention because of the admission of several prominent Ghanaian public figures, including former Akuapem North Member of Parliament and former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and broadcasters Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku and Umaru Sanda.
Their admission highlights the varied professional backgrounds of the latest group of lawyers, which includes individuals who pursued legal education alongside careers in politics, public administration, business and broadcasting.
Sarpong’s performance was among the major academic highlights of the ceremony, with her double recognition setting her apart from the large group of newly qualified lawyers.
A graduate of the Faculty of Law at KNUST, she received the John Mensah Sarbah Award, one of the most distinguished honours presented to candidates who excel across the Professional Law Examinations. She also received the award for Best Student in Civil Procedure, a specialised area of legal training that deals with the rules and processes governing civil cases before the courts.
Her achievements were particularly notable because she was among 1,568 candidates admitted to the Ghana Bar at the ceremony.
According to information attributed to KNUST, Sarpong became the 11th graduate of the university to win the John Mensah Sarbah Award since 2011. She was also identified as the fourth consecutive recipient from the institution since 2023.
The achievement adds to KNUST’s record in professional legal education and highlights the performance of its graduates in the national professional examinations.
Sarpong’s academic journey began at Notre Dame Girls Senior High School in Ghana’s Bono Region before she proceeded to KNUST for her legal education.
She was not the only KNUST graduate recognised at the ceremony. Eunice Agyei and Anita Enyonam Dei also received awards, with the three graduates collectively securing four of the 11 awards presented during the event.
The Presbyterian Church of Ghana also celebrated Sarpong’s achievement, identifying her as a member of the Ramseyer Memorial Congregation in Adum, Kumasi.
Although details of her future career plans were not provided in the source material, her performance has established her among the notable academic achievers of the 2026 cohort.
Another prominent figure at the ceremony was Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, the former Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, who has added a professional legal qualification to her background in politics, business and public administration.
Asiamah-Adjei served as an MP for two consecutive terms and held ministerial positions under former President Nana Akufo-Addo, first as Deputy Minister of Information and later as Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.
She left public office in January 2025 following the New Patriotic Party’s defeat in the December 2024 general elections.
However, her pursuit of legal education began years before she exited Parliament. Parliamentary records cited in the source material indicate that she enrolled in a distance-learning Bachelor of Laws programme at University College London in 2014 while continuing to build her political career.
Her admission to the Ghana Bar on October 9, 2026, therefore marks the culmination of a long period of legal study pursued alongside her other professional responsibilities.
Reflecting on the significance of her qualification, Asiamah-Adjei said her legal training had broadened her understanding of governance, business and people’s rights.
“Education has no finishing line. My legal training has broadened my understanding of governance, business and people’s rights. It gives me another opportunity to serve society beyond politics,” she said.
Her educational background extends beyond law. She holds an undergraduate degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Ghana and completed postgraduate studies in logistics and supply chain management at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.
Before entering Parliament in 2017, she also held management positions in private companies.
Her new qualification adds another dimension to a career that has involved legislative work, public administration and business management.
Their admission illustrates how legal education can form part of a broader professional journey, including for people already established in other fields.
However, the Call to the Bar represents formal admission to the legal profession; the ceremony itself does not establish what career paths each new lawyer will subsequently pursue.
The ceremony brought together academic achievers, experienced public figures and professionals entering law after years in other careers.
