Parliament approves Gloria Akuffo

Parliament on Monday, 19 June 2017 approved the nomination of Justice Sophia Akuffo as Ghana’s next Chief Justice following her vetting on Friday, June 16, 2017.

This was after the Appointments Committee presented its report to the house for approval.

In presenting the report, the chairman of the Appointments Committee and First Deputy Speaker, Joe Osei-Owusu, said the committee recommended her approval unanimously since there was no dissenting view.

“She exhibited a high standard of competence and integrity, forthrightness and independence of thought, astuteness in depth, and appreciation of the law, fairness, and selflessness. The nominee Sophia Akuffo qualifies to serve as the Chief Justice of the republic. Mr Speaker, it is the recommendation of the house by unanimity that the nominee be approved to take the seat of Chief Justice in Ghana,” he stated.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo nominated Justice Akuffo following Justice Georgina Theodora Wood’s retirement last month after holding the position for a decade.

Justice Akuffo, during her vetting, promised to promote quality justice delivery and to shore up the image of the judiciary.

She becomes the fifth Chief Justice under the Fourth Republic when she is sworn into office.

Justice Akuffo holds a Masters in Law (LLM) degree from Harvard University in the United States.

She has been a member of the Governing Committee of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute and the Chairperson of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Task Force.

In January 2006, she was elected one of the first judges of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights. Initially elected for two years, she was subsequently re-elected until 2014 and is at present serving as Vice-President of the Court.

She has written The Application of Information & Communication Technology in the Judicial Process – the Ghanaian Experience, a presentation to the African Judicial Network Ghana (2002).