The Ministry of Justice & Attorney General's Office of Ghana oversees legal matters that pertain to the State's executive power and drafts any legislation accordingly. The Attorney General is responsible for any civil cases and acts as the defendant on behalf of Ghana. The Ministry of Justice was founded in 1951 as a result of the recommendations made by the Lidbury Commission whereas the position of Attorney General originated in 1877.[1]
The Attorney General is responsible for the Ministry of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice was created in 1951 after the Lidbury Commission was established to come up with recommendations upon reviewing the Gold Coast Civil Service.[2] The commission established that the establishment of ministries by the then newly established Gold Coast government, headed by Kwame Nkrumah (then Prime Minister and Head of Government Business), was to be modelled under the British Home Office. A Ministry of Justice was then created and headed by P. F. Branigan, an English expatriate.[3] The ministry was to incorporate the duties of the Attorney General as it oversaw the Attorney General department. The ministry later became the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General. In 1954 when the first all African government was formed in the Gold Coast, the Ministry of Justice did not exist. It was merged with the Ministry of Interior, and the name of the ministry was; Ministry of Interior.[4]
In 1956, when a new government was formed following the re-election of Kwame Nkrumah as Prime Minister, the Ministry of Interior became the Ministry of Interior and Justice, and the Ministry was headed by Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, who became the first Ghanaian responsible for the ministry after Ghana gained its independence in March 1957. Following Ghana's independence in 1957, the Ministry of Interior and Justice was split to form the Ministry of Justice (becoming a ministry on its own) and the Ministry Interior. This time, the Ministry of Justice did not oversee the Attorney General department as a Ministry for the Attorney General had been created on 7 August 1957 and headed by Geoffrey Bing. Ako-Adjei then became the first Minister of Justice for Ghana from 1957 to 1958. The Ministry was responsible for the functions of the Land Boundaries Settlement Commission, financial and ministerial matters with relation to the Supreme Court, local court and Customary Law, and foreign processes.[5] In 1958, the ministry was merged with the Ministry of Local Government and Kofi Asante Ofori-Atta was put at the helm of its affairs. The Ministry was later split in September 1961 to become its own Ministry when the Ministry of Local Government was merged with the Ministry of Interior and headed by Kwaku Boateng.[6] Ofori-Atta remained Minister for Justice from 1961 until 1965 when he was appointed Speaker of Parliament. The Ministry of Justice was then merged with the ministry for the Attorney General. The portfolio of the Attorney General consequently became; the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.[7] The Ministry was headed by the then Attorney General; B. E. Kwaw-Swanzy. From then onwards to date, the Ministry of the Attorney General has been incorporated with the Ministry of Justice.
The Judicial service named Mrs Regina Ayerko Apotsi as the first woman Judicial Secretary (13th). A statement on Friday signed by Adbullah Iddrisu, Acting Deputy Judicial Secretary. She assumed duty on December 1, 2004.
| Number | Minister | Portfolio | Took office | Left office | Government | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minister for Interior and Justice | 1956 | August 1957 | Convention People's Party | ||
| Minister for Justice | August 1957 | 1958 | ||||
| 2 | Kofi Asante Ofori-Atta | Minister for Justice and Local Government | 1958 | September 1961 | ||
| Minister for Justice | September 1961 | 1965 | ||||
| 3 | Minister for Justice and Attorney General | 1965 | February 1966 | |||
| 4 | 1966 | April 1969 | National Liberation Council | Military government | ||
| 5 | April 1969 | September 1969 | ||||
| 14 September 1969 | January 1971[8] | Progress Party | ||||
| 6 | January 1971 | 12 January 1972 | ||||
| 7 | 13 January 1972 | 8 October 1975 | Military government | |||
| 8 | 9 October 1975 | January 1979[9] | Military government | |||
| 9 | 1 January 1979 | 23 September 1979 | Military government | |||
| 10 | 24 September 1979 | August 1981 | People's National Party | |||
| 11 | A. L. Djabatey | 1 October 1981 | 31 December 1981 | |||
| 12 | 25 June 1982 | 1988 | Military government | |||
| 13 | 14 December 1988 | 1 April 1993 | ||||
| 14 | Anthony Forson | 1 March 1993 | 30 October 1993 | National Democratic Congress | ||
| Obed Asamoah (Acting AG) | November 1993 | May 1997 | ||||
| 15 | May 1997 | 6 January 2001 | ||||
| 16 | 1 February 2001[10] | 24 April 2003 | New Patriotic Party | |||
| 17 | 1 April 2003[11] | 2005 | ||||
| 18 | 1 February 2005[12] | 2006 | ||||
| 19 | 16 June 2006 | 7 January 2009 [13] | ||||
| 20 | Betty Mould-Iddrisu [1st female][14] | 2009 | 2011 | National Democratic Congress | ||
| 21 | 4 January 2011[15] | 2012 | ||||
| 22 | 25 January 2012[16] | 24 October 2012 | ||||
| 24 October 2012 | 7 January 2013 | Mahama government | ||||
| 23 | February 2013[17] | 7 January 2017 | ||||
| 24 | February 2017[18] | January 2021 | New Patriotic Party | |||
| 25 | January 2021 | Incumbent |