Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo resigns from Council of State

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Published: June 14 2026

Published at : 3:30Pm

Story by Saibu Terry

Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has resigned from Ghana’s Council of State, according to sources familiar with the matter, ending her tenure on the presidential advisory body.

Akuffo, who served as Chief Justice from 2017 to 2020, is understood to have tendered her resignation last year and has not attended any meetings of the Council of State since then.

Neither Akuffo nor the presidency immediately commented on the resignation, and the circumstances surrounding her decision were not publicly disclosed.

The Council of State is a constitutional advisory body mandated to counsel the president on matters of governance and national importance. Its members include both elected and appointed representatives drawn from across the country.

Akuffo, one of Ghana’s most distinguished jurists, served on the Supreme Court for more than two decades before becoming the country’s 13th Chief Justice.

She was the second woman to occupy the position after Georgina Theodora Wood.

Prior to her appointment as Chief Justice, she served as a judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and held several positions within Ghana’s judiciary.

Her tenure on the Council of State attracted public attention in 2023 when she joined pensioner groups protesting aspects of the government’s domestic debt exchange programme, arguing that retirees should not bear an unfair burden in economic recovery measures.

No official announcement has been made regarding a replacement.
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Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo Resigns from Council of State

Caption: Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has stepped down from Ghana’s Council of State after reportedly tendering her resignation last year.

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Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has resigned from Ghana’s Council of State, bringing an end to her service on the constitutional advisory body to the President.

Sources close to the matter indicate that Justice Akuffo submitted her resignation last year and has since been absent from meetings of the Council of State. However, neither she nor the Presidency has publicly commented on the development, and the reasons behind her decision remain unknown.

The Council of State plays a crucial advisory role in Ghana’s governance system, providing counsel to the President on issues of national importance. Its membership comprises elected and appointed representatives from across the country.

Justice Akuffo, Ghana’s 13th Chief Justice, served as head of the Judiciary from 2017 until her retirement in 2020. She is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most accomplished legal minds, having spent over two decades on the Supreme Court bench.

She made history as the second woman to serve as Chief Justice, following the tenure of Justice Georgina Theodora Wood. Before ascending to the country’s highest judicial office, she also served as a judge at the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and held several key positions within Ghana’s judicial system.

Her membership of the Council of State drew significant public attention in 2023 when she joined pensioners protesting aspects of the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP). At the time, she argued that retirees should not be made to shoulder an unfair share of the country’s economic recovery burden.

As of now, no official announcement has been made regarding who will replace her on the Council of State.