Justice George Kingsley Acquah (4 March 1942 – 25 March 2007) was the twenty-third (23rd ) Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of Ghana The Supreme Court of Ghana is the highest judicial body in Ghana. Ghana's 1992 constitution guarantees the independence and separation of the Judiciary from the Legislative and the Executive arms of government.1992 Constitution Article 125( ...

(the eleventh since independence). He was appointed as Chief Justice on 4 July 2003 and was the incumbent until his death.

Early life

Justice Acquah was born on 4 March 1942 at

Sekondi Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indus ...

in the Western Region of the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

(now

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 ...

). He had his basic education in a number of schools, namely Half Assini Methodist School, Cape Coast Methodist School, Ashanti Bekwai Methodist School, Akim Oda Methodist School, Nkawkaw Methodist School and Dunkwa-on-Offin Anglican School. He attended Adisadel College at

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...

, from 1957 to 1963 for his secondary and sixth form (college) education. He was an undergraduate at 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 Legon , a suburb of the Ghanaian city Accra, is situated about north-east of the city center in the Accra Metropolis District, a district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Legon is home to the main campus of the University of Ghana. Ghanaia ...

between 1964 and 1967 and obtained a B.A (Hons) degree in philosophy. In 1970, he obtained the LL.B. (Hons) degree in law from the same university. He then attended the Ghana Law School where he obtained his Professional Certificate in Law and was called to the Bar in 1972.

Working life

Justice George Acquah was in private legal practice at

from 1972 until 19 September 1989 when he became a High Court Judge, working at Ho in the

Volta Region Volta Region (or Volta) is one of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions, with Ho designated as its capital. It is located west of Republic of Togo and to the east of Lake Volta. Divided into 25 administrative districts, the region is multi-et ...

. He rose to become an

Appeal Court A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

Judge in June 1994 and then a Supreme Court Judge a year later.

Other roles

*Chairman, Budget Committee of the Judicial Service *Chairman, Judicial Service Reform and Automation Committee *Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of the Judicial Service of Ghana *Chairman, Disciplinary Committee of the Judicial Council *Chairman, Funeral Committee of the Judicial Service *Chairman, Tender Board of the Judicial Service *Member of the Judicial Council of Ghana *Chairman, National Multi-Sectoral Committee on the Protection of the Rights of the Child *Member, Rules of Court Committee *Member, Appointments Committee of the Judicial Council *Member, Africa Regional Council of the

International Planned Parenthood Federation The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global non-governmental organisation with the broad aims of promoting sexual and reproductive health, and advocating the right of individuals to make their own choices in family p ...

. *Member of the Governing Council of the Ghana Legal Literacy and Resource Foundation *Patron, Commonwealth Legal Education Association, London *Honorary Legal Adviser of the International Planned Parenthood Federation; *Editorial Advisor, Banking and Financial Law Journal of Ghana *External Examiner (Law of Evidence) Ghana Law School

Honours

*June 2006 – Awarded the

Order of the Star of Ghana The Order of the Star of Ghana is the highest award given by the Government of Ghana to any individual who had helped the cause of the country in one way or the other. Recipients of this award are decorated at a state function, chaired by the Pr ...

(Member) – the highest honour of Ghana

Death

Justice Acquah died of cancer on 25 March 2007, aged 65, in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

. He was married with six children.

References

External links

Profile on Ghanaweb.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acquah, George Kingsley 1942 births 2007 deaths 20th-century Ghanaian lawyers University of Ghana alumni Deaths from cancer in Ghana Recipients of the Order of the Star of Ghana Alumni of Adisadel College Ghanaian Anglicans