List of judges of the Supreme Court of Ghana


This is a list of the judges of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The Constitution of Ghana provides for the court to be made up of the Chief Justice of Ghana and not less than nine other Justices of the Supreme Court. It shall be duly constituted by at least five Supreme Court judges.

Appointment of judges

Article 144 clause 1 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana stipulates that the Chief Justice of Ghana is to be appointed by the President of Ghana acting in consultation with the Council of State and with the approval of the Parliament of Ghana. Article 144 clause 2 states that Justices of the Supreme court are appointed on the advice of the Judicial Council in consultation with the Council of State and with the approval of Parliament. Where the position of Chief Justice is vacant or where the holder of the position is unable to perform their duties for a period, the most senior member of the Supreme Court shall act as Chief Justice as in clause 6 of Article 144. In May 2020, President Akufo-Addo appointed four additional judges to the Supreme Court.

Retirement or removal from office

According to Article 145 clause 4 of the constitution, a Supreme Court Judge is expected to vacate their office on reaching the age of seventy years. They can carry on up to an additional six months to ensure that they are able to complete any proceedings they may have been involved in at that stage. The judges are guaranteed job security. Article 146 states the conditions for their removal as "except for stated misbehaviour or incompetence or on ground of inability to perform the functions of his office arising from infirmity of body or mind." The procedure for this has also been clearly stated in the constitution.

List of judges of the Supreme Court

#Served fromNamePrevious judicial officeServed untilReplacingNotes
1Puisne Judge of the Supreme CourtInauguralChief Justice of Ghana 1957–1963
Dismissed by Kwame Nkrumah
2Appeal Court Judge 1957InauguralRetired when Supreme Court acquitted Tawia Adamafio and others on treason charges
3Appeal Court JudgeInaugural
4High Court JudgeInauguralChief Justice 1964–1966
Removed after coup d'etat
5Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana InauguralSpeaker of Parliament of Ghana
6High Court Judge 1959
Supreme Court was replaced by the Appeals Court in 1966
6Appeal Court Judge1972Supreme Court replaced by the Appeals Court in 1972
Chief Justice 1973–1977
7High Court Judge 2 July 1956 – 1962Dismissed 2 March 1964 by Nkrumah
Member of Constitutional Commission
1966–1967
8High Court Judge Jan 1960
Attorney General 1961–1962
9High Court JudgeSpeaker of the Parliament of Ghana 1969–1972
10Private legal practionerDismissed 2 March 1964 by Nkrumah
11Private legal practionerDismissed 2 March 1964 by Nkrumah.
Reinstated by the NLC as an Appeals Court judge.
Chief Justice
12High Court Judge
13High Court Judge
14High Court JudgeSupreme Court replaced by Appeals Court
14Appeal Court Judge1972Supreme Court replaced by Appeals Court
14Appeal Court Judge1986Chief Justice of Ghana 1977–1986
Chief Justice of Kenya 1993–1995
15High Court JudgeSupreme Court Judge in Zambia 1976–1980.
16High Court JudgeSupreme Court was replaced by the Appeals Court in 1966 by the National Liberation Council
16Appeal Court JudgeDismissed by NRC Military government.
17High Court JudgeSupreme Court replaced by the Appeals Court by the then NLC government.
18Legal adviser to Ghana Police and Ghana Airways Chief Justice 1970–1972
Sacked by NRC Military government.
19Interim Electoral Commissioner
1924 October 1980Appeal Court Judge1981
20Member of the Council of StateSacked by NRC Military government.
21Dean of the Faculty of law, University of Zambia
22High Court Judge
Private legal practitioner
23Appeal Court Judge Supreme Court replaced by Appeals Court
23Appeal Court Judge July 1982Retired voluntarily on July 1982
Later became a justice of the Appeal Court of the Gambia
24Attorney General 1969–1971
25Appeal Court judge1983Retired in 1983
251991Appointed Chairman of the Law Reform Commission following his retirement as a Supreme Court judge, was called out of retirement in 1991 to serve as Chief Justice of Ghana21 February 1995Chief of Justice 1991–1995
26Appeal Court Judge1990Chief Justice of Ghana 1986–1990
27High Court Judge
28Appeal Court Judge
29Appeal Court Judge
30Appeal Court Judge
31Appeal Court JudgeChief Justice of Seychelles 1990–1993
Chief Justice of Ghana. Died in office.
32Appeal Court Judge
33Attorney General of Ghana
34Appeals Court Judge2003
35Director of Public Prosecutions
2nd Deputy Speaker of the Consultative Assembly
First female justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana and first female Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana
36Private legal practice
37Appeal Court Judge
38Appeal Court Judge
39Appeal Court JudgeResigned in October 2002 on personal grounds
40Appeals Court JudgeChief Justice of Ghana. Died in office.
41Private legal practitionerChief Justice
42Appeal Court JudgeDied in office
43State attorney23 years in Supreme Court
44Appeal Court Judge
45Appeal Court Judge
46Private legal practioner
47Appeal Court Judge
48Appeal Court Judge
49Appeal Court Judge 1991–2002Chief Justice 2007–2017
50Appeal Court Judge3 March 2004
51Appeal Court Judge
52Private legal practitioner20 March 2007
53Professor of Law at the University of Ghana12 March 2004
54Special Adviser at the Commonwealth Secretariat, London
55Professor of Law at the University of GhanaDied in office
56Appeal Court Judge28 January 2008
57'Appeal Court JudgeIncumbent
58Chief Justice of the GambiaApril 2005
59Appeal Court JudgeJudge on United Nations Appeals Tribunal 2009–2016
60Appeal Court Judge
61'Appeal Court JudgeIncumbent
62'Appeal Court Judge
Supreme Court Judge in the Gambia
Incumbent
63'Justice of the Court of Appeal IncumbentChief Justice
64Appeal Court Judge
65Appeal Court Judge
66Appeal Court Judge2011
67'Appeal Court JudgeIncumbent
68Appeal Court Judge
69Appeal Court JudgeRetired
70'Appeal Court JudgeIncumbent
71'Private legal practitionerIncumbent
72'Private legal practitionerIncumbentPresident of the Ghana Bar Association
73'Appeal Court JudgeIncumbent
74'Professor of Law at the University of GhanaIncumbent
75'Appeal Court JudgeIncumbent
76'Appeal Court JudgeIncumbentSophia AkuffoPresident of Ghana chapter, International Association of Women Judges, 2014
77'Appeal Court JudgeIncumbentSophia Adinyira
78'Appeal Court JudgeIncumbentVida Akoto-BamfoVice-Chair, e-Justice Committee
Judicial Training Institute Board member
79'Appeal Court JudgeIncumbent
80'Appeal Court JudgeIncumbent
81'Professor of Law at the University of GhanaIncumbent
82'Private legal practitionerIncumbent