By Issah Olegor
Former Chief Justice Sophia Abena Boafoa Akuffo has quietly stepped down from the Council of State, bringing an end to her tenure on the constitutional advisory body and triggering fresh public discussion about the circumstances surrounding her departure.
Sources familiar with the development indicate that the respected jurist tendered her resignation from the Council of State last year, less than a year after her nomination and has reportedly not attended any meetings of the advisory body since then.
However, neither the Presidency nor Justice Akuffo has publicly commented on the decision, leaving questions unanswered about the reasons behind her resignation.
Speculations are rife that the ousting of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Torkornoo might have influenced her decision to exit the Council of State having disagreed with the reasons tabled to remove the former Chief Justice.
The development has attracted considerable attention due to Justice Akuffo’s prominent role in Ghana’s judicial history and her status as one of the country’s most respected legal minds.
Her departure also comes at a time when public scrutiny of governance institutions and constitutional bodies remains high.
The Council of State occupies a unique position within the constitutional framework. Established under the 1992 Constitution, the body is mandated to advise the President on matters of governance, public administration and issues of national importance. Its membership is drawn from both elected and appointed representatives across the country and is intended to provide non-partisan counsel to the Presidency.
Justice Akuffo’s resignation therefore marks the exit of one of the most distinguished personalities to have served on the advisory body in recent years.
A member of one of the most prominent political and royal families, Sophia Akuffo has enjoyed a long and accomplished career within both the national and international judicial systems.
She served on the Supreme Court for more than two decades before being appointed the country’s 13th Chief Justice in 2017.
Her appointment made her only the second woman in Ghana’s history to occupy the office of Chief Justice after Georgina Theodora Wood.
Before assuming the role of Chief Justice, Justice Akuffo had built an impressive international reputation through her service as a judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Arusha, Tanzania and through various leadership roles within the judiciary.
Following her retirement as Chief Justice in 2020, she continued to play an influential role in national affairs and public discourse, often speaking on governance, constitutionalism and social justice issues.
Her presence on the Council of State became particularly significant in 2023 when she joined pensioner groups protesting aspects of the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
At the height of the economic crisis and debt restructuring efforts, Justice Akuffo publicly aligned herself with retirees who argued that pension funds should not be subjected to measures that would adversely affect their livelihoods.
Images of the former Chief Justice sitting among protesting pensioners outside government offices quickly gained national attention and generated widespread debate about the impact of economic recovery measures on vulnerable groups.
Her intervention was viewed by many observers as an indication of her willingness to speak out on issues of public interest even after leaving the bench.
The timing of her resignation has also attracted interest because it follows a period during which she has become increasingly involved in traditional leadership matters within her hometown of Akropong-Akuapem.
Justice Akuffo was recently installed as a sub-queen in Akropong, adding a new dimension to her public service career and strengthening her ties to traditional governance structures within the Akuapem traditional area.
While it remains unclear whether her new traditional responsibilities played any role in her decision to leave the Council of State, her installation has further elevated her profile as a respected figure in both national and traditional leadership circles.
