Henrietta Joy Abena Nyarko Mensa-Bonsu, (born 29 October 1957) is a

Supreme Court Judge A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of the

Republic of 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 ...

. She was nominated by president Nana-Akufo-Addo. She is the 5th female member of the Court. Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court, she was 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 ...

law professor who served as a member of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Independent Panel On Peace Operations.

Early life and education

Mensa-Bonsu was born on 29 October 1957 in

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

. She attended Wesley Girls High School for both her ordinary level certificate and advanced level certificate obtained in 1975 and 1977 respectively. She continued at

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 she graduated with Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in 1980 and studied at the

Ghana School of Law The Ghana School of Law (GSL) is an educational institution in Ghana for training lawyers. The school is the only one that provides training for law graduates in the Barrister at Law program. The Professional Law Course is designed for Law Gradu ...

from 1980 to 1982. She was called to the Ghana bar in 1982. Mensa-Bonsu had postgraduate studies at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, obtaining a Master of Laws (LLM) in 1985.

Career

Mensa-Bonsu was employed as a law lecturer at the

in 1985 and rose through the ranks to attain full professorship in 2002. In 2003, she was elected a Fellow of the

Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) is a learned society for the arts and sciences based in Accra, Ghana. The institution was founded in November 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah with the aim to promote the pursuit, advancement and dissemination ...

. Some academic positions held by Mensa-Bonsu at University of Ghana include been Director of the Legon Centre for International and Advanced Diplomacy and the acting Dean of the Faculty of Law. She was elected president of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019. She has used platforms available to her to advocate for peace to accelerate national development. She was the guest speaker at the Second Annual Peace Lecture put together by the Accra West chapter of the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

and the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), where she spoke about the "need to nurture peace" without waiting "till the need arises for peace before we go for it". She delivered the 2014 University of Ghana Alumni Association lecture on the topic "The African Union’s Peace and Security Architecture: A guarantor of peace and security on the continent”. In 2017, Mensa-Bonsu failed in her bid to be elected as a Judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC). She was a member of the Presidential Commission of Enquiry which probed the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence.

Supreme Court appointment

Mensa-Bonsu was nominated by Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, the President of

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 ...

, in May 2020 for consideration for appointment to the bench 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( ...

. Her name was submitted with other three judges by the president Nana-Akufo-Addo to Parliament for appointment into the Supreme Court bench. The others were Justice

Clemence Jackson Honyenuga Clemence Jackson Honyenuga (born 4 September 1952) was a Ghanaian judge. He is an active Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana from 22 May 2020 until 4 September 2022. Early life and education Honyenuga was born on 4 September 1952 in Nyagbo- ...

, Justice

Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu (born 11 September 1957) is a Supreme Court judge of the Republic of Ghana. He was appointed the Justice of the High Court between 2008 and 2012. He became an Appeal court judge from 2012. He was nominated by the preside ...

and Justice Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi. She was approved by the Parliament after she was recommended by the Appointment Committee. She was sworn into office by the President

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 ...

Personal life

Mensa-Bonsu is married to Kwaku Mensa-Bonsu and they have three adult daughters, five grandchildren, three foster sons and three foster grandchildren.

References

External links