The Dean of the University of Ghana School of Law, Professor Raymond Atuguba, has emphasized that addressing Ghana’s current developmental and economic challenges requires a cultural approach.
Speaking on cultural practices, ethics and law in the wake of the marriage between 63-year-old Gborbu Wulomo and 13-year-old Naa Okromo, Professor Atuguba argued that most of Ghana’s socio-economic challenges, when properly probed, have cultural underpinnings.
Professor Atuguba in his commentary about the marriage, said it fell short of the legally acceptable age for marriage in Ghana.
He further told Selorm Adonoo on The Big Issue on Citi FM and Citi TV that the laws of the country even places priority on customary law because it is the foundational legislation of many citizens.
He referenced Section 54 of the Courts Act and portions of the 1992 Constitution to buttress his statements.
“I personally believe that the only way out of Ghana’s current developmental mess is a cultural one. Part of the economic, social and political miracles of development that have happened around the world have been cultural.
“Section 54 of the Courts Act, when the good women and men sat to draft the Act, they recognised that a lot of our society was still culturally frictioned and so they provided in that Section that when disputes go to court and you want to settle them, the first thing you should do is try to settle them according to the personal law of the parties involved and the personal law for most of us is customary law.”
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