Contact
Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor is a visiting scholar with the University of Ghana School of Law who has years of enviable experience working with the Government of Ghana. Dr. Kunbuor has served as the Director of Operations of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice as well as a Minister of State and Member of Parliament. He has publications to his credit in Decentralization and Land Administration, the Geography of Law, Human Rights in Ghana, and the Law of Taxation in Ghana. He previously taught Constitutional and Administrative Law at the University of Warwick Law School in the United Kingdom, and also taught the Law and Practice of Taxation at the Ghana School of Law.
CREDENTIALS
- PhD- University of Warwick Law School, UK
- LLM- University of Warwick Law School, UK
- BL- Ghana School of Law, Accra, Ghana
- LLB- University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- Law and Development
- Law of Taxation
- Security Sector Governance
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
2021 A Survey of the Development of the Law of Taxation in Ghana. Digibooks: Tema, Accra.
2020 The Geography of Law: A Critical Spatial Perspective on Law and Decentralized Development in Northern Ghana. DigiBooks: Tema, Accra.
2017 Kunbuor, B., A. Nakyea & W.K.O. Demitia, The Law of Taxation in Ghana, TYPE Co. Ltd: Accra.
2014 Kunbuor, B. And A. Nakyea, The Law of Taxation in Ghana, Agape Ltd: Accra.
2012 Kunbuor, B. And A. Nakyea, Ghana Tax Law Primer, Agape Ltd: Accra.
2009 Law and Decentralised Development in Northern Ghana, Agape Ltd: Accra.
2008 Ghana Tax Law Primer,1 st edn. Agape Ltd: Accra.
ARTICLES
2022 “Democratic Governance of the Security Sector: Ghana’s Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999). Accepted for publication in the next issue of the University of Ghana Law Journal (UGLJ).
2021 “Is there a right to health in Ghana? The case of Ghana’s 1992 constitution. UCC Faculty of Law Journal, 1(2), 1–48. https://doi.org/10.47963/ucclj.v1i2.412
2021 Hutchful, E. Agyekum, HA and Kunbour, B. “The Military in Transition in Ghana from Praetorianism to Democratic Control”, in Oxford Encyclopaedia (accepted for publication).(https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1820)
2020 “The Spatial Turn in Law and a Jurisprudence in the Geography of Law in Ghana: An Exploration”, in Mobilising the Law for Ghana’s Future: Appraising to Revolutionise. C. Dowuona-Hammond, AF. Hamond & RA. Atuguba eds. School of Law – University of Ghana, pp. 422 - 474
2020 “The Public and Private Law Dichotomy: An Introduction”, in As a Matter of Public Law and Rights in Ghana. AP. Atupare and EK. Quashigah eds. LexisNexis: South Africa, Chapter 1.
2020 “Law and Justice in Constitutional Democracies: Ghana’s Jurisprudence”, in As a Matter of Public Law and Rights in Ghana. AP Atupare and EK Quashigah eds. LexisNexis: South Africa, Chapter 5.)
2015 “The War of Terror and the War on Terror: Implications for good governance and fundamental Human Rights in Commonwealth Countries”, in The Parliamentarian, 2015 Issue Two XCVII. Archived Issues (cpahq.org)
2007 “Ghana’s Legislation on Arms and Ammunition and the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons”, in FOCUS January, 2007 No. 10, FOSDA: Accra.
2003 “Multiple Layers of Land rights and ‘multiple owners’: The Case of Land Disputes in the Upper West Region of Ghana”, in Kroger, F. and Meier, B. (eds.) Ghana’s North: Research in Culture, Religion and Politics of Societies in Transition, Peter Lang: Frankfurt [pp. 101-128].
2001 'Epistolary Jurisdiction of the Indian Courts and Fundamental Human Rights in Ghana's 1992 Constitution: Some Jurisprudential Lessons'. in Law, Social Justice & Global Development (LGD), 2001 (2) http://elj.warwick.ac.uk/global/issue/2001-2/kunbor.html>. new citation as at 1/1/04: ;http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/elj/lgd/2001_2/kunbor/>
2000 “Traditional and State Law in Land Conflicts: Case Studies from the Upper West Region of Ghana”, Working Papers on African Societies. Number 43. Humboldt- University Institute of African Studies, Berlin, Germany.
2000 “Customary Law of the Dagara of Northern Ghana: Indigenous Rules or A Social Construction”, in Journal of Dagaare Studies Vol. 2 Number 2 [pp. 1-21]. At (journaldatabase.info)
1998 .The ‘Trokosi’ (Slave Virgin Girls) of the Volta Region of Ghana, Lord Roots Memorial Fund Reports. Commissioned Study by Lord Rootes Memorial Fund, Modern Records Centre University of Warwick: UK, at https://warwick.ac.uk/insite/topic/teachinglearning/roots/pastprojects/p....
1996 “Decentralisation and Land Administration in Northern Ghana: A Legal Perspective”, in Decentralisation, Land Tenure and Land Administration in the Northern Regions of Ghana. Report on a Seminar held at Bolgatanga from Tuesday 28 th to Thursday 30 th May 1996. Organised by the Regional Houses of Chiefs of the Northern Regions, The University of Development Studies and the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation (KAF) of Germany. KAF: Accra, pp. 94-91.
Consultancies Undertaken
2021 African Union (AU) Consultancy to Provide Technical Support to the Gambia to Develop a Mechanism for SSR Coordination. Reference Number: AUC/GCP-PAPS/C/029.
2019 Developed Three ‘Knowledge Products” for the Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF) for use by the Security Sector Committees of the Nigerian National Assembly and Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria on ‘Oversight of the Security Sector in Nigeria’. The ‘Knowledge Products’ were: (1) Supporting Democratic Oversight and Accountability of Nigeria’s Security Sector: A Handbook for Security Sector Committees of the Nigerian National Assembly (2) Supporting Democratic Oversight and Accountability of Nigeria’s Security Sector: A Handbook for Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (3) A Self-Assessment Tool for Members of the Security Committees of Nigerian National Assembly
2007 Facilitated the Seminar on International Law and Double Taxation Agreements organized in Ghana by the GTZ (now GIZ). 2004 Bortei-Dorku Aryeetey. E, R.A Atuguba and B. Kunbuor The Right to Development Report- Ghana Country Study, Legal Resources Centre, Accra, Ghana.
2006 OXFAM Consultant on a Common Mining Code for ECOWAS Member States.
2005 OXFAM Consultant on the ECOWAS Treaty on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
2005 Prepared the Ghana Country Report on The Right to Development together with Professor Ellen Bortei-Doku Aryeetey and Dr. Raymond A. Atuguba, for the Harvard University United Nations Commissioned Study.
2004 Local Consultant for GIZ (then GTZ) on Tax/Finance Component of Good Governance in Ghana. Worked with Dr. Christopher Habammer (as external consultant) on the Double Taxation Agreement between Ghana and Germany.
Selected Papers presented at Seminars and Lectures
2021 Moderator on “Entrenching Constitutionalism”. At the Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum on Democracy and Governance in the Context of Complex Crises in West Africa. At the KAIPTC, 9 th December, 2021. 2021 “Curriculum Development and Teaching Methodologies”, at the international Conference on The Future of Legal Education in Ghana/Africa. University of Ghana School of Law, Legon, Accra on December 1, 2021.
2020 "The Defence and Security Sector and Reforms in Ghana — Perspectives and Challenges";. Lecture delivered at the Course on the Strategic Context of Defence Management (SCDM) for senior officers within the security sector and government ministries, by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in partnership with the British Government, in Accra.
2019 “Parliamentary Processes of Oversight of the Security Sector: Best Practices Within Africa”, at a Training Workshop for Members of the Security Committee of the National Parliament of the Gambia in Banjul. 2019 “International Legal and Human Rights Framework on Violent Extremism”. Lecture delivered to students in the Masters in Conflict Resolution Programme at the Kofi Anan International Peace and Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra.
2018 “The Relevance of the Legislature in Peace and Security: Perspectives and Challenges in Africa”. Lecture delivered to students in the Masters in Conflict Resolution Programme at the Kofi Anan International Peace and Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra.
2007 “Concepts of Security and the New International Security Regime”, at the Fourth Ghana Security Sector Governance and Management Course: Module 1: Security; “Ghana’s Security Environment: Domestic and Regional”.
2006 “Going back into the future: The Issue of Poverty in Northern Ghana”, at a Seminar organised by the Konrad Adenaeur Foundation in Collaboration with the Catholic Diocese of Tamale in July 2006, on Poverty and Conflict in Northern Ghana.
2005 (a) “Ghana’s Double Taxation Agreements (DTA) with Trading Partners: Their role within sub-regional integration”, Seminar organized by the Ghana Institute of Taxation, 13-14 September, 2005 at the Alisa Hotel, Accra. (b) “Tax Policy Trends in Emerging Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Sub-region”.
2005 “Current Issues on Ghana Value Added Tax (VAT) Principles: Legal Implications”, at a Seminar organized by GTZ and the Ghana School of Law on July 27, Accra
2005 “Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector: Theory and Practice in Ghana”, at a Seminar on Security Sector Governance Programme at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), Accra.
2004 “Current issues and opportunities in Ghanaian Tax Law”, at a Seminar organized by GTZ (now GIZ) and the German-Ghana Economic Association (GGEA) on September 11, 2004, Novotel, Accra.
Research Work in Progress
Law and Literature: Colonial and Postcolonial African Perspectives. “What Does it Mean to be Human as a Bearer of Human Rights? The Case of Human Rights in Ghana”