Joseph Akanjolenur Whittal 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 ...

who is the Commissioner of Human Rights and Administrative Justice of Ghana since December 2016.

Education

Joseph Whittal attended 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 ...

where he studied

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

between 1985 and 1988. He proceeded to the Ghana Law School where he studied from 1988 to 1990. He was awarded the Premier Best student Prize Certificate in Industrial Law while at the Ghana Law School. Between 2005 and 2006, he studied for a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in Democracy, Governance and Human Rights at the

University of Cape Coast The University of Cape Coast is a public collegiate university located in the historic town of Cape Coast. The campus has a rare seafront and sits on a hill overlooking the wide Atlantic Ocean. It operates on two campuses: the Southern Campus (O ...

Work

His first job was as a Legal Officer with the Legal Aid Board at its zonal office in

Tamale A tamale, in Spanish tamal, is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tamale ...

between 1990 and 1991 as part of his national service. He then worked as a legal officer at the Office of the Revenue Commissioners from 1991 to 1992. In 1992, he was appointed

State Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

at the Ministry of Justice and Attorney – General's Department where he worked for two years.

Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice

Whittal joined the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in 1994. His first position in the organisation was as the Upper East Regional Director. He served as the Director for the Legal and Investigations Department between 2008 and 2012. He was promoted Deputy Commissioner in charge of the same department from 2012, his last position before becoming the Commissioner. He was appointed the Commissioner in December 2016 by President John Mahama. This was shortly after the December 2016 general election which Mahama lost. The

New Patriotic Party , logo = , colorcode = #132f7a , founder = , founded = 28 July 1992 , dissolved = , leader = Nana Akufo-Addo , chairman = Stephen Ayensu Ntim Stephen Ntim elected NPP National Chairman on fifth attempt http://www.gna.org.gh/1.2152672 ...

which had won the election and was due to take office under

Nana Akufo-Addo Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ( ; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the president of Ghana since 7 January 2017. In 2020, he was re-elected for his second term, which will end on 6 January 2025. Akufo-Addo previously ...

a few weeks later expressed disapproval at his appointment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whittal, Joseph Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century Ghanaian lawyers University of Ghana alumni University of Cape Coast alumni 21st-century Ghanaian lawyers