"I am well aware that I stand on extremely tall shoulders" - Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo sworn-in
Having been recommended as Chief Justice on April 26th, Justice Torkornoo was unanimously vetted by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on May 26, 2023.
President Akufo-Addo has sworn-in Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Essaba Torkornoo as Ghana's new Chief Justice, the Republic's 15th and third woman Chief Justice.
Highlighting the contributions of her various predecessors from Chief Justice Edward Kwame Wiredu to Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, she said: " As the 15th Chief Justice of this great Republic since the independence of Ghana in 1957, the 27th Chief Justice since the former Judicial system was established with the enactment of the Supreme Court Ordinance of 1876, after the revocation of the 1853 Supreme Court Ordinance that established the Supreme Court of the forts and settlement of the Gold Coast and the third woman Chief Justice, I am well aware that I stand on extremely tall shoulders."
In her inaugural address, she additionally reiterated her stance on leveraging technology to improve judicial efficiency - with a call also on stakeholders for support.
"After Two decades since tackling the issue of automation, only 62 percent of courts use computers as part of their work. This is a national burden and we are slowed by any sluggishness in the nation’s digitalization drive.
"To speed up the efficiency of our system, so much more is needed for and from the Judiciary than determination and avowed purpose.
- There is the need to expedite the national digitalisation agenda for the judicial to allow networking of all stakeholders.
- There is the need to increase the budget of the judiciary to allow us room to expand our infrastructure in the automation and digitisation agenda.
- There is the need for the judiciary to make itself accountable by increasing the transparency in the process and output of our judgments and decisions through real-time publications, especially when it comes to decisions on land ownership and other areas of law that affect the economy and social stability of the Ghana."
Having been recommended as Chief Justice on April 26th, Justice Torkornoo was unanimously vetted by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on May 26, 2023.
