Former African Court President Now Ghana Chief Justice

Arusha — The former President of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (AfCHPR) Justice Sophia A.B. Akuffo has been nominated for the Chief Justice of Ghana.

Her nomination by President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo on May 11th for the top position in the country's Judiciary is subject to approval by the Paslriament

Justice Akuffo, a seasoned and Havard-trained judge, was first elected a Judge of the pan African Court based in Arusha in 2006 for a two year term and re-elected in 2008 for a six year term.

She was later elected Vice President of the Court, which is a quasi-judicial organ of the African Union, in September 2008 for a two year term and re-elected in September 2010 for a final two-year term.

She was elected as the President of the Court on September 18th, 2012 for a two-year term, becoming the third President after Justice Gerard Niyungeko of Burundi who served from 2006 to 2008 and Justice Jean Mutsinzi from Rwanda from 2008-2010.

"She is a noble Judge with strong convictions and commitment to deliver justice to all persons irrespective of status", said the current President of the Court Justice Sylvain Ore in a statement.

He added that it was as a result of "her hard work and dedication" to the cause of the African Court that Justice Akuffo rose through the ranks to become AfCHPR President and later nominated as the Chief Justice of Ghana.

"I take this opportunity to assure you of the African Court's availability and readiness to continue its engagement with national judiciaries in its pursuit to enhance the protection of human rights on the continent", Justice Ore said.

The nomination of Justice Akuffo, a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana, as the Chief Justice of Ghana was made President Akufo-Addo 25 days ago. The Parliament has to approve it.

The African Court is a continental court established by the African countries to ensure the protection of human and people's rights in Africa and complements and reinforces the functions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

It was established by virtue of Article One of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, whose protocol was adopted by the then Organization of African Unity (OAU in Burkina Faso in 1998. It came into force on January 25th, 2204.

Judges of the African Court are elected, after nomination by their respective countries, in their individual capacities, from among African jurists of proven integrity and recognized competence, especially in the field of human rights.

Judges of AfCHPR elect among themselves a President and Vice President who serve a two year term. They can be re-elected only once.

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