(L-R) Gertrude Torkornoo, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, Sophia Akuffo, and Georgina Theodora Wood
The judiciary is an important arm of government which plays a critical role in upholding the rule of law and ensuring justice.
It is headed by the Chief Justice, who oversees the administration of justice, interpretation of the constitution, and safeguarding the independence of the judiciary.’
The Chief Justice is also the fourth highest officer in the country. Since attaining independence, the country has had a succession of remarkable and distinguished individuals who have served in this capacity, contributing to the legal and constitutional development of the country.
Here is the chronological list of 12 males and 3 females who have served as Chief Justices in Ghana since 1957:
Sir Arku Korsah
Sir Kobina Arku Korsah was the first African Chief Justice of the Gold Coast. He was the first Ghanaian alongside Nana Sir Ofori-Atta I to be appointed as members of the Governor’s Executive Council.After the Kulungugu attack on former President Dr Kwame Nkrumah in August 1962, he presided over the trial of five defendants.
At the end of that trial, three of the accused were found not guilty and this reportedly displeased the Nkrumah government leading to his removal in December 1963.
Julius Sarkodie-Addo
Julius Sarkodee-Adoo was the second Chief Justice of Ghana during the First Republic.
He was removed after the coup d’état of February 24, 1966, by the military National Liberation Council government which was formed after the overthrow of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Edward Akuffo Addo
Edward Akufo-Addo, the father of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was a politician, lawyer and a member of the “Big Six” leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and one of the founding fathers of Ghana, who engaged in the fight for Ghana’s independence.
He became the Chief Justice (1966–70), and later ceremonial president (1970–72) of the Republic of Ghana.
Edmund Alexander Lanquaye Bannerman
Edmund Alexander Lanquaye Bannerman was the Chief Justice of Ghana between 1970 and 1972. He was the fourth person to hold this position since Ghana became an independent nation in 1957.
Samuel Azu CrabbeSamuel Azu Crabb was a barrister, solicitor and jurist and the fifth Chief Justice of Ghana since it became an independent nation.
In 1977, he was awarded Companion of the Order of the Volta for his service to the country. He died on September 15,2005.
Frederick Kwasi Apaloo
Frederick Kwasi Apaloo served as Chief Justice of Kenya from 1993 to 1995 and Chief Justice of Ghana from 1977 to 1986.
He is the only judge to have served on the Supreme Court of Ghana under three Ghanaian republics.
He served through the third republic of Ghana and continued after the overthrow of the Limann government.
Due to his independence, the new military government, the Provisional National Defence Council led by Jerry Rawlings also tried to remove him as Nkrumah had tried before but failed in 1983.
He retired at the age of 65 years in 1986.
Ernest Nee Pobee Sowah Sowah
Justice Ernest Nee Pobee Sowah was the Chief Justice from 1986 to 1990. He presided over the case brought by Amoako Tuffuor, a Ghanaian citizen, when the People’s National Party government of Hilla Limann attempted to replace Justice Fred Kwasi Apaloo as the Chief Justice of Ghana by vetting him.
He ruled that Apaloo was the Chief Justice on the coming into force of the 1979 Ghanaian constitution and was thus the incumbent Chief Justice.
Philip Edward Archer
Philip Edward Archer was the Chief Justice of Ghana from 1991 to 1995. He was the eighth person to hold this position since Ghana became an independent nation.
He died on May 10, 2002.
Isaac Kobina Abban
Isaac Kobina Donkor Abban was the Chief Justice between 1995 and 2001. He was the ninth person to hold this position since Ghana became an independent nation.
Edward Kwame Wiredu
Edward Kwame Wiredu JSC was the Chief Justice between 2001 and 2003. He was the tenth since Ghana became an independent nation.
He is noted for introducing the Fast Track High Courts in Ghana as well as Alternate Dispute Resolution in Ghana.
George Kingsley Acquah
George Kingsley Acquah was the twenty-third Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana (the eleventh since independence). He was appointed as Chief Justice on July 4, 2003.
Georgina Theodora Wood
Georgina Theodora Wood was the first woman Chief Justice of Ghana. She worked with the Ghana Police Service as a deputy superintendent and public prosecutor for three years and later joined the Judicial Service as a District Magistrate in 1974. She rose through the Circuit and High Courts to become the presiding judge of the Appeal Court in 1991.
She was appointed to the Supreme Court by former President John Kufuor in November 2002.
Sophia Abena Boafoa Akuffo
Sophia Abena Boafoa Akuffo was the Chief Justice from June 2017 until December 2019. She had been a judge in the Supreme Court of Ghana since 1995.
Kwasi Anin-Yeboah
Kwasi Anin-Yeboah was appointed as Chief Justice by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2019.
He served as a Justice of the High Court from 2002 to 2003 and the Court of Appeal from 2003 to 2008 in Ghana.
Gertrude Torkornoo
Gertrude Torkornoo , the current Chief Justice was nominated to the Supreme Court in November 2019 and received parliamentary approval in December 2019.
She was sworn in on December 17, 2019, to replace Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah who retired as Chief Justice on May 24, 2023.
JKB/AE
