Ghana’s Chief Justice praises state institutions and recalls previous eight years
Ghana’s Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, during a visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), positively assessed the work of this institution and other state organizations under the current administration. According to him, the changes he observed raise questions about what the country had been doing over the previous eight years.
As MyJoyOnline reports, Baffoe-Bonnie also visited the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) on the same day. He said that the information he heard at SSNIT reinforced his impression of a significant improvement in the work of a number of state institutions.
SSNIT assets
The Chief Justice mentioned SSNIT’s previous plans to sell valuable assets, including the Labadi Beach Hotel. He noted that comparing those plans with the institution’s current performance raises questions about how low Ghana could have fallen.
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According to MyJoyOnline’s assessment, these remarks were a favorable appraisal of the work of state institutions under the current government and an indirect comparison with the previous eight-year period of rule by the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The comments sparked discussion because of the Chief Justice’s constitutional status and the judiciary’s duty to maintain independence from the executive branch and political parties.
Baffoe-Bonnie’s appointment
In April 2025, Baffoe-Bonnie became acting Chief Justice after President John Dramani Mahama suspended the then head of the judiciary, Gertrude Torkornoo, from office. This happened after prima facie grounds were found for initiating proceedings under Article 146. At the time, Baffoe-Bonnie was the most senior judge of the Supreme Court.
In September 2025, Mahama nominated him for the position of Chief Justice after Torkornoo’s removal. In November, Parliament approved the appointment by 163 votes to 69. Minority representatives from the NPP objected to continuing the process because legal challenges to Torkornoo’s removal had not been concluded and also cited a possible conflict of interest. Baffoe-Bonnie rejected claims that his appointment was politically motivated and promised to defend the independence of the judiciary.
