Profile of Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo

The 7th of January 2009 will forever be remembered as a great day in the annals of Ghana's political history.

Not only was political power peacefully handed from one democratically elected government to another, the day witnessed the popular acclamation into office the first lady Speaker of Parliament.

Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo, a retired Supreme Court Judge assumed the high office of the Speaker of Parliament on the back of a rich public service which spans over four decades.

She was born on the 26th March, 1937 and had since not turned her back to the needs and interests of her country.

Her selfless, dedicated and illustrious career as a Supreme Court Judge could not have been possible without a sound educational background.

Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo had her basic education at the Ola Boarding and government girls' school in Cape Coast and proceeded to the Holy Child Senior High School also in Cape Coast.

With the overwhelming desire to seek justice for the downtrodden, Justice Bamford-Addo pursued her Law education in London and was subsequently called into the Inner Temple in London in 1961.

Her life-long ambition is to serve Ghana and without surprise she left what many refer to as greener pastures in London, to one not too greener, but remained her beloved country, Ghana.

From 1961-1963 Justice Bamford-Addo practiced law in Ghana and was subsequently appointed as the assistant state attorney on the 27th December, 1963.

She went through the rungs, and her resilience and hard work justifiably earned her the position as the director of public prosecution on 21st January, 1986.

She was again elevated to the Supreme Court in 1991 where she dispatched her duties firmly but fairly.

In October 2004, Justice Bamford-Addo effectively retired as a Supreme Court Judge after an impeccable service to her country.

Through out her career, her ambition to fight for the interest of women was not lost on her.

Her active campaign for women empowerment was amply demonstrated in several fora and workshops.

Her zeal and unfettered desire towards women issues was gleefully rewarded in the year 2000 when she was awarded the best woman of the year by the American Biographical Institute.

After her retirement in 2004, Justice Bamford-Addo had since enjoyed her private life until her repertoire and experience has again been tapped for the high office of the Speaker of Parliament.

She looks unassuming, but her smile and voice alone should be her tramp card for a what appears to be yet another challenging task in public service.

With high standards set by the late Hon Peter Ala Adjetey and the immediate past Speaker of Parliament Hon Begyina Sakyi Hughes, Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo indeed has tall mountain to climb.

But she is expected to succeed in her new role.

By Nathan Gadugah