Kenya Insights

Tag: President John Mahama

  • Ghana President Suspends Chief Justice in Unprecedented Move

    Ghana President Suspends Chief Justice in Unprecedented Move

    Ghanaian President John Mahama has suspended the country’s Supreme Court chief justice – a move that marks a first in the country’s history.

    An investigation has been launched and three undisclosed petitions have been filed making allegations against Gertrude Torkornoo, calling for her permanent removal.

    Chief justices in Ghana enjoy security of tenure – meaning they can only be removed from office on a few grounds, which include incompetence and misbehaviour.

    The content of the petitions has not been made public and she is yet to comment, while Ghana’s former attorney general has claimed her suspension is an attempt to undermine the judiciary.

    “I think it is a complete charade,” Godfred Yeboah Dame told the BBC.

    “It’s the biggest assault on the [judiciary] in the nation’s history, the greatest assault on the independence of the judiciary under the constitutional dispensation of this country.”

    Ms Torkornoo is Ghana’s third female chief justice and was nominated in 2023 by former president Nana Akufo-Addo.

    It is her responsibility to oversee the administration of justice in Ghana.

    According to news agency Reuters, Ms Torkornoo survived a removal request earlier this year when former President Akufo-Addo said a petition to have her dismissed had “several deficiencies”.

    Copies of the three recently filed petitions against Ms Torkornoo were not initially made available to her.

    But some lawyers argued that withholding the documents was a violation of Ms Torkornoo’s right to a fair hearing.

    Copies of the petition were subsequently made available to the chief justice, allowing her to respond to the allegations privately and in writing.

    Ms Torkornoo will be invited by the five-member committee to respond again to the petitions before a final decision is reached as to whether she should be removed from office or not.

  • Ghana: President John Mahama Reduces Number of Ministries From 30 To 23

    Ghana: President John Mahama Reduces Number of Ministries From 30 To 23

    Ghana’s President John Mahama has reduced the number of government ministries from 30 to 23 as part of efforts to streamline operations and reduce costs under the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) austerity program, according to a government gazette.
    The retained ministries include key sectors such as finance, health, interior, defense, education, energy and green transition, roads and highways, and transport. The restructuring is part of broader reforms tied to the $3 billion IMF bailout Ghana secured in 2022 to address its inability to service debt.

    Last week, Bloomberg reported that Ghana’s stock market, which outperformed all other African markets last year, is expected to maintain its strong growth into 2025. Investors are hopeful that Mahama’s newly elected administration will stabilize the economy and foster a business-friendly environment.

    Ghana’s economy demonstrated substantial recovery throughout 2024, with an average growth rate of 6.3% over the first nine months, a notable improvement from the previous year’s 2.6%.