The Nigerian Law Society, NLS, and the Ghana Law Society, GLS, are to establish the Pan-African Institute for Continuing Legal Education, PAICLE.
The two West African law societies, in a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed on October 5, 2026, agreed to collaborate to design and deliver continuing legal education programmes both virtually and physically.
The Pan-African Institute for Continuing Legal Education is to have its headquarters in Accra, Ghana, according to details of the agreement.
Executive Director of the Nigerian Law Society, NLS, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, SCN, signed on behalf of the NLS through his representative, Rev. Dr. Apaerala Perey.
In the same vein, the President of the Ghana Law Society, GLS, who is also a member of the Ghanaian parliament, Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, signed on behalf of the Ghana Law Society, GLS.
Dafeamekpor serves as the Member of Parliament for South Dayi and Majority Chief Whip.
As part of the partnership between the two countries, the Ghana Law Society is to send a seven man delegation to attend the annual general conference of the Nigerian Law Society on 4th and 5th November, 2026.
It would be recalled that amid ongoing row over the legitimate version of the Nigerian Law Society, NLS, the Office of the Inspector General of Police, IGP, wrote to acknowledge Ambassador Dahiru Aliyu and Jaja, as the President and Executive Director, respectively, of the organisation.
The letter, with reference number: CB:5180/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.43/41, was dated 10th March 2026, and signed by Commissioner of Police Lateef Adio Ahmed, Principal Staff Officer to the IGP.
The Nigerian Law Society is an association of Nigerian non-litigation lawyers, unlike the lawyers under the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, who are legal practitioners as recognised under the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962.
“The distinction is that the lawyers who are members of the NBA having passed the Bar examinations are qualified as litigation lawyers permitted to be called to the Bar with the right to make appearances in all courts of law within Nigeria in accordance with the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962.
“In contrast, the members of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) are lawyers who have completed the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and some of them have not received additional qualification by attendance at the Nigerian Law School and called to Bar in accordance with the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962,” Jaja said while offering a clarification on the organisation.
According to him, the lawyers who are members of the NLS are LLB degree graduates, and even those who have been called to the Bar, who have made the conscious decision to specialise in fields of law that do not require courtroom litigation.
Non-litigation areas of law which members of the NLS are engaged in include legislative drafting, law lecturing and legal research, arbitration, mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR, practice, company secretarial services and law revision and reforms, among others.
Nigeria, Ghana law societies to establish Pan-African legal education institute