The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo Okusanya, SAN, FCIArb, has urged legal practitioners across Africa to prepare deliberately for an evolving professional landscape driven by technology, industry, cross border commerce and artificial intelligence. She emphasized that innovation must never displace professional independence, conscience or accountability.
Badejo Okusanya delivered this message in a goodwill address at the Annual Conference of the Ghana Bar Association on September 14, 2026. The event carried the theme, “150 Years of Ghana’s Legal Evolution: Transforming the Profession and Driving Its Future with Industry.”
Describing the engagement as her first international assignment since assuming office, the NBA President stated that Ghana’s 150 year legal history should serve as a guide for the future of the profession rather than a mere record of past achievements.
She opened her remarks by acknowledging the role of supportive spouses in professional leadership, paying tribute to Mr Joe Ghartey, husband of Ghana Bar Association President Efua Ghartey. She also conveyed greetings from her spouse, Mr Yomi Badejo Okusanya, a public relations practitioner, noting that family support plays a vital role in successful leadership journeys.
Addressing the audience, Badejo Okusanya highlighted the importance of mentorship and continuous professional development by honoring veteran Ghanaian lawyer Sam Okudzeto. Recalling their initial meeting at an International Bar Association conference in Prague in 2005, she noted that Okudzeto’s ongoing participation in global legal gatherings demonstrates the value of lifelong learning. She also noted his practice of sharing Ghanaian chocolate at international events as a meaningful gesture of African promotion and identity.
Speaking on female leadership within the legal sector, Badejo Okusanya referenced the historical election of Efua Ghartey as the first female president of the Ghana Bar Association on September 11, 2024. She recalled meeting Ghartey in Accra in January 2026 during the inauguration of the President of Ghana, where both leaders shared their professional aspirations. Following her own election to the head of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ghartey traveled to Nigeria to attend her swearing in ceremony.
Badejo Okusanya observed that the emergence of female leadership at the head of both the Ghanaian and Nigerian Bars carries broader societal responsibilities. As the second woman to lead the NBA and the first elected to the position, alongside Ghartey leading the Ghana Bar Association after more than six decades, she emphasized that holding leadership positions creates an obligation to pave the way for future generations of female law students and practitioners.
Reflecting on historical precedents, the NBA President cited John Mensah Sarbah and the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society, whose opposition to proposed colonial land legislation protected customary land rights. She noted that Sarbah recognized how legal principles impact livelihoods, inheritance, identity and community welfare, presenting a continuous question regarding how practitioners utilize their knowledge to advance justice and strengthen institutions.
On the relationship between legal practice and commercial enterprise, Badejo Okusanya stressed that modern businesses require legal guidance well before disputes arise. Emerging product development, investment structuring, intellectual property management, data governance and corporate social responsibility all demand proactive legal advice. She cautioned that legal counsel must understand modern business operations and technological risks to remain effective, adding that corporate engagement must not compromise professional independence.
Addressing the integration of artificial intelligence in legal services, Badejo Okusanya affirmed that practitioners must remain fully accountable for the accuracy, integrity and humanity of their work. She called on Bar associations to ensure that technological advancement translates into tangible opportunities and financial stability for younger practitioners by connecting continuing legal education to emerging commercial sectors.
Concluding her address, the NBA President called for stronger collaboration between the Nigerian and Ghanaian Bars, as well as legal institutions across the African continent. She stated that expanding intra African trade requires an interconnected legal profession capable of supporting cross border transactions, protecting investments and harmonizing legal frameworks across jurisdictions. Reports on legal sector developments and trade frameworks can be found on Human&Legal.
