The names of some Ghanaian female legal practitioners have recently appeared in the trends following the launch of the Millennium Lawyers' 25th Anniversary in Accra.

Following the celebration held at the CID Headquarters under the theme, "25 Years at the Bar- A Journey of Justice and Service", the two personalities, former Electoral Commission Chairperson Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, and the current Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, have caught the attention of netizens.

This article will explore the profiles and achievements of these two personalities

Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei

The former EC Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, was born on February 1, 1969, in Nigeria.

She had her secondary education at the Ghana National College in Cape Coast. Charlotte Osei proceeded to the University of Ghana, where she obtained her LLB in 1992.

'Party mob wanted to burn my father's house' – Charlotte Osei

She further studied law at the Ghana School of Law, after which she was called to the Bar in 1994.

Charlotte Osei served as a teaching assistant at the University of Ghana's Faculty of Law from 1994 to 1995. She worked as a lawyer for Laryea Company in Accra from 1994 to 1997, and then as a Senior Legal Officer at the Ghana Commercial Bank from 1997 to 2002.

She also lectured part-time in commercial law from 1997 until 2003. From 2002 to 2005, Osei worked as General Counsel for Unibank Ghana, and then from 2005 to 2011, as founder and lead counsel for business lawyers, Prime Attorneys.

Charlotte Osei became the chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education from 2011 until 2015. In 2015, she was appointed chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana and presided as the Returning Officer for Ghana's 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

She made history by becoming the first female to be appointed as the chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana. In May 2019, the United Nations appointed her as an International Non-Voting Electoral Commissioner to Afghanistan.

Lydia Yaako Donkor

Lydia Yaako Donkor was born in October 1974 and attended Wesley Girls' High School in Cape Coast.

Lydia Yaako Donkor earned a degree in Law and Political Science from the University of Ghana, followed by professional legal training at the Ghana School of Law.

She later pursued an LL.M. in International and Human Rights Law from the University of Leeds.

Donkor began her legal career as an associate at Acquah-Sampson & Associates, where she engaged in litigation and legal drafting. She later worked with the Legal Aid Board in Takoradi, where she handled cases related to gender and child rights.

She enlisted in the Ghana Police Service in 2003 as a legal officer and rose through the ranks to become the most senior lawyer within the service.

COP Lydia Yaako Donkor becomes first Ghanaian woman elected to INTERPOL Africa Committee



In March 2025, she was appointed as the Director-General of the CID by Inspector-General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno.

Also in August, she made history as the first Ghanaian and the only woman elected to serve on the newly established INTERPOL Africa Committee.

COP Lydia Yaako Donkor currently serves as a Commissioner of Police and the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service. Donkor is also Chair of the Police Ladies Football Club and Chairperson of the Safety and Security Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

Joyce Bawah Mogtari

Joyce Bawah Mogtari is a Ghanaian lawyer and politician who served as a Deputy Minister of Transport in Ghana.

She attended Wesley Girls' Senior High School, St. Francis Girls’ Secondary School, and Tamale Secondary School for her secondary school education.

Joyce then proceeded to Holborn College, University of London, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree in 1997. In the year 2000, she was called to the bar. She is also a member of the bar in Ghana, England, and Wales.

She holds a master's degree in maritime law (L.L.M.) from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) in Malta.

Joyce Mogtari was formally called to the bar in 2000 and started her career with the legal firm Sey & Co. Later, she became a consultant for KPMG and the Venture Capital Trust Fund. She also served as the Head of the Legal Department and Solicitor Secretary of the Ghana Shippers' Authority, and as the head of the Ghana Shippers' Authority from 2007 to 2013.

Joyce Bawah further served as a board member for both PSC Tema Shipyard Company Limited and the National Lotteries Authority (NLA). She also operated as the Director of the Legal Service of the Ghana Shippers Authority. 

In 2013, she was appointed by President John Dramani Mahama to serve as the Deputy Minister of Transport. Joyce Bawah is currently the special aide to the current president.

JHM/SEA

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