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Justice Akuffo gets approval from parliament

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

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

The chairman of the Appointments Committee and First Deputy Speaker, Joe Osei-Owusu, in presenting the report, said the committee recommended her approval unanimously.

“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.

Justice Akuffo was nominated by the president, Nana Akufo-Addo following Justice Georgina Theodora Wood’s retirement in June.

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

Justice Akuffo has assured that if she is endorsed, she will ensure that every Ghanaian will have quality justice if they resort to the courts for settlement of disputes.

Profile of Sophia Akuffo

Ms Justice Akuffo has been at the Supreme Court for the past two decades. She has a master’s degree in Law (LL.M) from the Havard University in the United States of America (USA).

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

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In January 2006, she was elected one of the first judges of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and was re-elected until 2014 when she served as the Vice-President. She is the immediate past President of the court.

She is on the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council and has held membership of many organisations.

Her publications include: The Application of Information & Communications Technology in the Judicial Process - The Ghanaian Experience, presented to the African Judicial Network Ghana (2002).

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