'Justify my trust in you' - Akufo-Addo to Chief Justice

President Nana Akufo-Addo has charged newly sworn in Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo to prove herself in her new role.

Addressing a gathering at the swearing-in ceremony in Accra, Mr Akufo-Addo said Justice Akuffo has proved herself and did not disappoint after she was elevated to be a Supreme Court judge by former President Jerry John Rawlings some 22 years ago.

He emphasised that it was now time to prove herself as an effective Chief Justice who will advance the frontiers of justice delivery in Ghana.

“She has justified the confidence reposed in her by President Rawlings, she has now to justify the confidence I am reposing in her as Chief Justice,” he said

Mr Akufo-Addo described her as a “shining light of Ghana’s court” who is capable of advancing the judiciary in Ghana.

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).