Accra: Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has reportedly ended her tenure on the Council of State, marking the conclusion of her role in the country's highest presidential advisory body.
According to Ghana Web, Akuffo submitted her resignation in 2025 and has since not participated in any Council meetings. Despite the reports, there has been no official statement from either Sophia Akuffo or the Presidency regarding the reasons for her resignation.
The news of Akuffo's resignation comes after a period of public scrutiny related to the dismissal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. In April 2025, during the Council of State's deliberations on whether a prima facie case existed against Torkornoo, Akuffo was the sole member to abstain from voting. She did not publicly disclose her reasons for abstaining.
Akuffo later appeared before the Article 146 committee, which was investigating Torkornoo, at the request of the suspended Chief Justice. She testified in Torkornoo's defense and criticized the proceedings, asserting that Torkornoo did not receive a fair hearing.
Before her tenure on the Council of State, Akuffo served on the Supreme Court for over two decades and became Ghana's 13th Chief Justice in 2017. She was the second woman to hold this position, following Georgina Theodora Wood. Additionally, she served as a judge on the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights.
In 2023, Akuffo drew public attention during her time on the Council of State by joining pensioners in protest against the government's Domestic Debt Exchange Programme. She argued that retirees should not bear an undue burden in the country's economic recovery efforts.