The judiciary, like the two other arms of government — the legislature and the executive — has been dominated by men.
Yet, a number of women have broken the male dominance and played significant roles in shaping the judiciary, the third arm of government.
These pioneering women, who deserve to be celebrated, not only broke the glass ceiling but also contributed immensely to the judiciary, shaping the justice system Ghana enjoys today.
Below are five women who have shaped Ghana’s judiciary:
Justice Annie Jiagge – 1st Ghanaian woman to become a judge
Justice Annie Jiagge is a well-deserved mention on the list, being Ghana’s first female judge.
According to a brief profile of her, Justice Jiagge joined the bench in 1953 when she was appointed as a magistrate. Her appointment came more than a century after Sir Chambers became Chief Justice of the Gold Coast.
She was on the bench for about 30 years, rising from her initial role as a magistrate to a district court judge, then to a High Court judge, and eventually to a Justice of the Court of Appeal.
The first Ghanaian female High Court judge also became the first woman to be President of the Court of Appeal. She retired from the bench in 1983.
She trained as a teacher before studying law at the London School of Economics (LSE) and was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1950.
Justice Jiagge, who was born in Keta in the Volta Region of Ghana, died in 1996.
Justice Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo – first female Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana
Another pioneering Ghanaian female judge was Justice Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, the first woman to be appointed a Justice of Ghana’s apex court, the Supreme Court.
Justice Bamford-Addo served on the bench for several decades, including serving as a Supreme Court judge for about five years, from 1991 to 2004.
Before her appointment to the bench, Justice Bamford-Addo had an extensive career at the Attorney-General’s Department as a State Attorney.
She was appointed to the bench as a High Court judge in 1980 before her elevation to the Court of Appeal, and subsequently to the Supreme Court of Ghana in 1991.
Her exploits did not end with the judiciary, as she became Ghana’s first female Speaker of Parliament in 2009, just five years after voluntarily retiring as a Supreme Court judge.
Justice Georgina Theodora Wood – Ghana’s first female Chief Justice
From the first female Supreme Court judge came Ghana’s first female Chief Justice — the head of the judicial arm of government — Justice Georgina Theodora Wood.
Justice Wood was appointed Chief Justice in 2007 and served in the role for about 10 years until her retirement in 2017.
She was a State Attorney at the Attorney-General’s Department before her appointment to the bench as a district magistrate.
She rose through the ranks from district magistrate to circuit court judge before being promoted to the High Court.
She was elevated to the Court of Appeal, and in 2002, appointed to the Supreme Court of Ghana.
Justice Sophia Abena Boafoa Akuffo – second woman Chief Justice
Following the retirement of Justice Georgina Theodora Wood in 2017, another woman, Justice Sophia A. B. Akuffo, was appointed Chief Justice.
She was appointed straight to the Supreme Court in 1995, serving on the court for over 20 years before her appointment as Chief Justice.
Before her appointment to the bench, she had an impressive career as a lawyer, which included her stint at the Legal Department of the Ghana Airways Corporation.
Aside from her exploits on Ghana’s bench, Justice Akuffo also served at the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, where she once served as President of the Court.
Justice Akuffo, who has been very vocal on social issues since her retirement, is currently a member of the Council of State.
Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo – third woman Chief Justice
Ghana saw its third female Chief Justice in June 2023, following the appointment of Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo to the role.
She was appointed to the bench in 2004 as a High Court judge after working for years in private legal practice, where she co-founded the law firm Sozo Law Consult.
Justice Torkornoo was promoted to the Court of Appeal in 2012, where she served for several years before her appointment to the Supreme Court in 2019.
She was removed from office on September 1, 2025, after a five-member committee (under Article 146(6)) investigated petitions against her and recommended her removal.
BAI
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