Ayariga was born in Bawku in the Upper East Region of Ghana. He was educated in Ghana and Nigeria and the United States of America. He attended the Barewa College in Zaira in Kaduna State, Nigeria. He holds a Master of Law (LLM) degree from the Harvard Law School in the United States of America and a Bachelor of Law (LLB) Degree from University of Ghana, Legon.
He started his career as a Teaching Assistant in Natural Resources Law and International Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana. He also co-founded and was the Executive Director of the Legal Resources Centre, an organization to promote human rights, community development and social justice.
A Lawyer by profession, Hon. Ayariga did his Law at the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, USA.
He also attended the Ghana School of Law where he was awarded professional certificate for law practice in Ghana.
Between 1993 and 1997, the Deputy Minister did his degree programme at the University Of Ghana Faculty Of Law and was awarded a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), with Second Class Honours, Upper Division, equivalent of Magna cum Laude.
His started practising his Law at BENTSI-ENCHILL, LETSA AND MATE (LAW FIRM) Accra, Ghana as Legal Assistant where he assisted senior lawyers to do legal due diligence of various financial and other institutions.
He also had a brief stint at the FACULTY OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, Accra, Ghana as Teaching Assistant. His role was to assist Law Faculty professors to prepare and teach courses in International Law and Natural Resources Law.
Again, he also worked at ANSAH-ASARE & CO (LAW FIRM) Accra, Ghana and was engaged in general legal practise.
Hon Ayariga had also worked at DATACENTA Ltd, Accra, Ghana as Research Assistant and assisted senior Lawyers in the consolidation and annotation of Laws of Ghana in Soft and hard copies.
Between 1997-2004 he served as Executive Director, LEGAL RESOURCES CENTRE (LRC) Accra, Ghana. He was a Founding member and principally responsible for policy formulation, and the design and implementation of projects for a community based resource centre that provides civic education, Legal aid, and research and advocacy on human rights and development issues.
He has also represented legal aid clients in court and conducted public interest litigation for Institutional reform and was directly responsible at the LRC for the Parliament Advocacy Program. Also he has
Joint responsibility for Managing the production of “The Right to Development Report: Ghana Country Study “, commissioned by the United Nations Expert on The Right to Development and the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Centre for Health And Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health; and Managing Lawyering Internship Program run by the LRC for students from the University of Ghana, The Ghana Law School and Harvard Law School was Director of Legislative Advocacy Project.
Between 2003 and 2004, the Hon. Deputy Minister served the underlisted;
Fellow of the Advocacy Institute, Washington D. C., USA
Short Term World Bank Consultant Washington, USA,
Advocacy Consultant, Cooperative League of the USA (CLUSA), Ghana,
Rights Based Approach Consultant, ACTIONAID, Ghana:
Rights Based Approach to Development Consultant, ACTIONAID, Gambia:
Rights Based Approach to Development Consultant, ACTIONAID, Tanzania:
Rights Based Approach to Development Consultant, ACTIONAID, Ethiopia:
Rights Based Approach to Development Consultant, DFID, Ghana:
Adjunct Consultant.
OTHER ENGAGEMENTS
Hon. Ayariga served as:
Spokesperson for Professor John Evans Atta Mills, NDC Presidential Candidate 2007 – 2009;
Assembly Member, (2002-2006), Sabon-Gari Electoral Area, Bawku East Municipal Assembly, Upper East Region, Ghana;
President, Students Representative Council (SRC), Ghana School of Law, 1998/99 Accra, Ghana;
President, Northern Students Union, (NSU) University of Ghana, Legon, 1996/97 Accra, Ghana;
Ghana’s Representative to the All-African Human Rights Moot Court Competition, Oujda, Morocco (1996) (Winners of Best Team Award);
Citizens Exchange Programme to Northwestern University Law School, Chicago, USA, 2000;
Ghana’s Representative to the Afro-Asian International Moot Court Competition (1997), National Law School of India, Bangalore, India;
Legal Intern, Legal Resources Center, (South Africa) September, 1997, Johannesburg, South Africa; and
Secretary, National Service Personnel Association, Bolgatanga District, 1993
Hon Ayariga speaks several Ghanaian Languages and very fluent in the English and has done all his formal education in English.
Among his publications are:
Chieftaincy Among the Kusasi: A Constitutional Appraisal LLB Dissertation, Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon. June 1997.
Legal Service for the Poor: Insights into the Elements of a New Paradigm (paper for the World Bank)
Engaging Non-State Actors in Human Rights Activism: An Alternative Activist Paradigm, (Paper written in conjunction with the Human Rights Research Seminar, 2002-2003, Harvard Law School, Cambridge.)
Social Action and Social Spaces: How Human Rights Language can Reconstitute them. LLM Paper, Harvard Law School, 2003.
Hon Ayariga was given the mandate by his constituents to become the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central Constituency, from 2005-2009. He was appointed Presidential Spokesperson between 2009 – 2010 until he was nominated, vetted and approved as Deputy Minister, Ministry of Trade and Industry.
He again won the Parliamentary seat in 2012, after losing the seat in 2008.
Mahama Ayariga was appointed the Minister of Information in the National Democratic Congress’ Mahama-led government.