President Akufo-Addo Swears in Chief Justice Torkornoo
Gertrude Essaba Sackey Torkornoo, Ghana’s next Chief Justice, has been sworn in by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
She succeeds Justice Anin Yeboah, who recently entered a required retirement period.
On June 12, 2023, she was sworn in before dignitaries including former president John Agyekum Kuffuor, the Ga Mantse, Supreme Court justices, and members of the diplomatic corps.
As the third female chief justice in the nation’s history, Justice Torkornoo is expected to spearhead efforts to change the way justice is delivered.
Profile of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo
Judge Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo was born in Ghana on September 11, 1962. She got parliamentary confirmation for her appointment to the Supreme Court in December after being nominated in November 2019. She was inaugurated on December 17, 2019.
She was appointed a Supreme Court judge in 2019 and has served on the Ghanaian bench since 2004. Since 2005, she has participated actively in the main reform agenda and operations of the Ghanaian judiciary and judicial service. She was one of the first Justices of the Commercial Division of the High Court.
Early Life and Education
Gertrude Torkornoo is a native of Winneba in Ghana’s Central Region. She attended Wesley Girls’ High School, where she received her certificate for the ordinary level, and Achimota School, where she received her certificate for the advanced level.
She attended the University of Ghana and earned her law degree there in 1986.
She earned a Postgraduate Diploma in International Law and Organization from Erasmus University in the Netherlands’ International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in 2001. She received an LLM in Intellectual Property Law from Golden Gate University in the United States in 2011.
Justice Torkornoo completed an internship with Nabarro Nathanson in London and volunteered at the FIDA Legal Aid Service before beginning employment as an associate at Fugar & Co. in Accra. In 1994, she joined the company again to work as a director.
Up until October 2012, when she was promoted to the Court of Appeal, she served as a judge on the High Court. In November 2019, Justice Torkornoo was proposed for appointment to Ghana’s Supreme Court.
On December 17, 2019, she took her oath of office.
She co-founded Sozo Law Consult in January 1997 and served as its managing partner until May 14, 2004, when she was named a Justice of the High Court of Ghana.