Dr. Abdul-Baasit Aziz-Bamba appointed Ag. D-G of Value for Money Office

Appointment takes effect under 2026 Act

President John Mahama has appointed Dr Abdul-Baasit Aziz-Bamba as the Acting Director-General of the Value for Money Office. The appointment, announced by the Presidency in a statement issued on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, was made in accordance with Article 195(1) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 14(1) of the Value for Money Office Act, 2026 (Act 1172).

Dr Aziz-Bamba will serve in an acting capacity pending the receipt of the constitutionally required advice of the Governing Board, in consultation with the Public Services Commission.

Mandate of the Value for Money Office

The appointment comes as the newly established Value for Money Office takes on its mandate of ensuring that public expenditure delivers value and serves the public good.

The office is expected to play an important role in promoting efficiency, accountability and prudent management of public resources.

Dr Aziz-Bamba’s legal and academic background is expected to bring significant expertise to the institution as it carries out its mandate.

From academia to public service

Before his appointment, Dr Aziz-Bamba served as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law.

At the law school, he lectures in several areas of law, including Law and Society, Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Human Rights Law, Natural Resources Law, and Investment and International Commercial Arbitration.

He has also combined his academic career with extensive experience in legal practice, consultancy and development-oriented work.

Harvard-trained legal scholar

Dr Aziz-Bamba holds both a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) and a Master of Laws (LLM) from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, United States.

Between 2007 and 2009, he served as a teaching assistant to Professor Lucie White at Harvard Law School. He also served for two consecutive years as an LLM adviser to newly admitted LLM students at the institution.

His academic experience also includes serving as a teaching assistant to Professor E.V.O. Dankwa of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana.

Extensive legal and development experience

Beyond academia, Dr Aziz-Bamba has worked in private legal practice with law firms in Accra and has undertaken consultancy assignments in various areas of law, governance and development.

He has held several positions, including Legal Officer, Legislative Analyst and Specialist, Director of Programs and Projects, and Associate Executive Director at the Legal Resources Centre, a human rights and law and development-oriented non-governmental organisation.

His professional experience has exposed him to issues involving legislation, human rights, access to justice and public policy.

Work with international institutions

Dr Aziz-Bamba has consulted for or worked with several local and international institutions.

His assignments have included work with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation on leadership training for young leaders of political parties in Ghana, the UK Department for International Development on alternative livelihoods, and the World Bank on court users and access to justice.

He has also worked with the Committee of African Studies at Harvard University on property rights, the Government of Ghana on legislative interventions and legal training for staff of the Office of the Attorney-General, and ActionAid International on rights-based approaches to development.

Published scholar

Dr Aziz-Bamba has published extensively on areas including criminal law, law and development, constitutional law and human rights law.

His academic work and professional engagements have given him experience across legal scholarship, public policy, governance and development.

Academic credentials

Dr Aziz-Bamba’s academic and professional credentials include:

• SJD – Harvard Law School, Cambridge, USA
• LLM – Harvard Law School, Cambridge, USA
• BL – Ghana School of Law, Accra, Ghana
• LLB – University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana

Areas of Expertise

• Constitutional Law
• Law and Society / Law and Development
• Human Rights Law and Community Organizing
• Economic Analysis of Law
• International Law, Investment and Commercial Arbitration

Publications

2020

• Bamba, A. (2020). Criminal Procedure in Ghana: Historical Evolution and Current Developments. In Mobilising the Law for Ghana’s Future: Appraising to Revolutionise. Wildy, Simmonds & Hill Publishing, UK.
• Bamba, A. (2020). Citizenship and Democratic Governance in Ghana. Chapter 7 in As a Matter of Public Law and Rights in Ghana, edited by Kofi Quashigah and Atupare. LexisNexis, South Africa.
• Bamba, A. (2020). The Law on Commissions of Inquiry in Ghana. In As a Matter of Public Law and Rights in Ghana, edited by Kofi Quashigah and Atupare. LexisNexis, South Africa.

2018

• Bamba, A. (2018). Chieftaincy in Ghana: Conflicting Narratives and Legal Uncertainties. In Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Transformation in Africa, edited by Peter Quartey, Samuel Agyei-Mensah, Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, and Abdul Baasit Aziz Bamba. Sub-Saharan Publishers, Accra, Ghana.
• Bamba, A. (2018), with Peter Quartey, Samuel Agyei-Mensah, and Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe. Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Transformation in Africa. Sub-Saharan Publishers, Accra, Ghana.

2017

• Bamba, A. (2017). Scandalizing the Courts and Ghana’s International Law Obligations on the Right to Fair Trial. LEJIAD, Vol. 9, No. 1.
• Bamba, A. (2017). Law of Succession in Ghana: Historical Evolution and Current Developments. GIMPA Law Review, Vol. 3.

2016

• Bamba, A., & Rameau, R. (2016). Ghana’s Future in the Offshore Oil Business. ILN.

2012

• Bamba, A. (2012). Holding Corporations Liable for Criminal Conduct: An Examination of Ghana, 2011–2012. UGLJ, Vol. 1.

2009

• Bamba, A. (2009). The State of Public Interest Litigation in Ghana. WAPILJ Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 1.

2008

• Bamba, A. (2008). The Law of Willfully Causing Financial Loss to the State: Is It a Good Thing or a Bad Thing? The New Legon Observer, Vol. 2.

2007

• Bamba, A. (2007). Accommodating Muslim Family Law. In Ghana Law Since Independence: History, Development and Prospects, Law Faculty Publication on the 50th Anniversary of Ghana’s Independence, edited by Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu et al.

2006

• Bamba, A. (2006). Defining the Content of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Problems and Challenges. In Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Ghana, UNDP-sponsored publication, edited by Dominic Ayine.

2004

• Bamba, A. (2004). Willfully Causing Financial Loss to the State. [Publication details incomplete in source material.]

His appointment places a Harvard-trained legal scholar and experienced academic at the helm of the Value for Money Office as the institution begins its work of promoting greater value and accountability in public spending.