Betty Nah-Akuyea Mould-Iddrisu (born 22 March 1953) is a

Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. A member of the National Democratic Congress, she was Minister for Education in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

from 2011 to 2012, after serving as Attorney General and Minister for Justice of

from 2009 to 2011. She was the first woman to lead the Attorney General's Office in

. Prior to politics, she had been the Head of Legal and Constitutional Affairs at the

Commonwealth Secretariat The Commonwealth Secretariat is the main intergovernmental agency and central institution of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is responsible for facilitating co-operation between members; organising meetings, including the Commonwealth Heads o ...

in London. Mould-Iddrisu had been one of those thought to be the likely nominee for

Vice President of Ghana The vice-president of Ghana is the second-highest officer in the Government of Ghana. The vice-president, together with the President of Ghana, is directly elected by the people through popular vote to serve a four-year term in office. The vice- ...

on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Education

Betty Mould-Iddrisu was born on 22 March 1953. She had her early education at

Ghana International School Ghana International School is a coeducational international school located at Cantonment, Accra Ghana. Ghana International School has an enrollment of diverse backgrounds. The student population derives from many countries and cultural orientatio ...

and attended

Achimota School Achimota School ( /ɑːtʃimoʊtɑː/ ), formerly Prince of Wales College and School at Achimota, later Achimota College, now nicknamed Motown, is a co-educational boarding school located at Achimota in Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana. The school wa ...

and

Accra Academy Accra Academy is a Non-denominational Christianity, non-denominational Day School, day and Boarding School, boarding Single-sex education, boys' school. It is located at Bubuashie near Kaneshie in the Greater Accra Region. The school was establishe ...

for her secondary education. She obtained a bachelor's degree in law (L.L.B) from the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...

, Legon between 1973 and 1976. Her academic qualifications include a

Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

gained in 1978 from the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

Career

In 2003, Mould-Iddrisu was appointed the Director of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, an inter-governmental organisation comprising 53 member states based in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Some of the highlights of her time at the Secretariat include overseeing implementation of mandates in the area of

transnational crime Transnational crimes are crimes that have actual or potential effect across national borders and crimes that are intrastate but offend fundamental values of the international community. The term is commonly used in the law enforcement and academic c ...

, counter terrorism and international humanitarian law. She oversaw the implementation of the Secretariats programmes on anti-corruption, asset recovery and judicial ethics. In addition, she implemented diverse legal program's through judicial reforms, legislative drafting and building capacity in the legal field in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

among-st others. She has given advice to Heads of States, Ministers and she is frequently called upon to give high level advice to governments, politicians and civil society. She also advises member states in the areas of international law, constitutional law and human rights and organizes high level ministerial and senior officials meetings. She headed the Secretariat Team of the Electoral Observer Group to the 2006

Ugandan }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The southe ...

Elections. She acts as In-house-Chief legal adviser to the Secretary General and Secretariat. In that capacity she manages a team of lawyers from diverse backgrounds and is responsible for managing her divisional budget and sourcing for extra budgetary resources. She also assists the Secretary General and his two Deputies in management of the Secretariat and represents the secretariat at Tribunals and Courts. Between 1990 and 2000, at a time she was fulfilling her duties at the London-based

, she taught at the law faculty of

, also publishing various papers and articles on

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

Politics

Attorney-General of Ghana

Mould-Iddrisu was sworn in in February, 2009 as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General by President John Evans Atta Mills, President of the Republic of

. She was the first female to be appointed to that role in Ghana.

Resignation

Mould-Iddrisu resigned from the government in January 2012. The reasons were not made public. This was a few days after her successor as Attorney-General was sacked by the President. She had been under pressure in relation to a case while she was serving as the Attorney-General. She was succeeded at the Education Ministry by

Enoch Teye Mensah Enoch Teye Mensah (born 17 May 1946) is a Ghana, Ghanaian politician. He was a Minister for Education and a Member of Parliament in Ghana from January 1997 till January 2017. He is popularly referred to as E. T. Mensah. Education and early life ...

Personal life

Betty Mould-Iddrisu is the wife of former Defence Minister Alhaji

Mahama Iddrisu Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu is a Ghanaian politician and a businessman. Iddrisu was a member of the Provisional National Defence Council and he is a former Minister for Defence. He is a founding member of the National Democratic Congress. He is the l ...

and the elder sister of

Alex Mould Alex Kofi Mensah Mould is a Ghanaian chemical engineer and politician who is a former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation. He is a member of the National Democratic Congress of Ghana. Before he was appointed CEO of G ...

, a former

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Ghana National Petroleum Corporation The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is the state agency responsible for the exploration, licensing, and distribution of petroleum-related activities in Ghana. History The corporation was established in 1983 to replace the Petroleum ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mould-Iddrisu, Betty Living people 1953 births 20th-century Ghanaian lawyers Justice ministers of Ghana Education ministers of Ghana Place of birth missing (living people) National Democratic Congress (Ghana) politicians Attorneys General of Ghana University of Ghana faculty Alumni of the London School of Economics Women government ministers of Ghana Alumni of the Accra Academy Female justice ministers 21st-century Ghanaian lawyers Ghanaian women lawyers Alumni of Achimota School