Joyce Bamford-Addo
Rt. Hon. Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo | |
---|---|
Bamford-Addo in parliament | |
Speaker of Parliament (4th of Fourth Republic) | |
In office 7 January 2009 – 6 January 2013 | |
President |
John Evans Atta-Mills (2009-12) John Dramani Mahama (2012) |
Vice President |
John Dramani Mahama (2009-12) Kwesi Amissah-Arthur (2012) |
Preceded by | Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes |
Succeeded by | Edward Adjaho |
Supreme Court Judge | |
In office 1991 – October 2004 | |
Appointed by | Jerry Rawlings |
President |
Jerry Rawlings (1991-2001) John Kufuor (2001-2009) |
Personal details | |
Born |
Accra, Ghana | 26 March 1937
Nationality | Ghanaian |
Profession | Judge, Barrister |
Religion | Catholic |
Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo (born 26 March 1937) was the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana from 2009 to 2013. The Speaker's position is the third most important in Ghana. She previously served as a Supreme Court Judge. She was also the first female Speaker in such a position in the West African sub-region.[1][2]
Early life and education
Joyce Bamford-Addo attended St. Mary’s Boarding School and OLA Boarding School along with her sister Cynthia in Cape Coast for her basic education. She subsequently attended Holy Child School, also in Cape Coast for her secondary education. She proceeded to the United Kingdom for further studies. She joined the Inner Temple to study law and was called to the English Bar in 1961.[3]
Judicial service
Bamford-Addo returned to Ghana after working in the UK for a year. She was called to the Ghana Bar in 1962. She worked as a State Attorney from 1963 and rose to become Chief State Attorney in 1973. She was appointed Director of Public Prosecutions in 1976, a position she held for 10 years. She was also appointed by Jerry Rawlings as a Supreme Court Judge in 1991. She retired from the Supreme Court in October 2004 when she was bypassed, allegedly, for her junior, Justice George Kingsley Acquah, in the appointment of Chief Justice.[4]
Politics
In 1991, Bamford-Addo became the Second Deputy Speaker of Ghana's Consultative Assembly, set up to draft what became the 1992 constitution. Following the 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections, she was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.[5]
References
- ↑ "Grandma Joyce is Historic Speaker". Ghanaian Chronicle. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
- ↑ Cynthia Boakye (8 January 2009). "Ghana records another first. Justice Bamford Addo is first Female Speaker". Business News. Statesman Online. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
- ↑ "The Speaker - Rt. Hon. Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo". Parliament of Ghana. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- ↑ "CV of the new Speaker". Ghana Web. 8 January 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- ↑ "Fifth Parliament makes history". Ghana Web. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
External links
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes |
Speaker of Ghanaian Parliament 2009–13 |
Succeeded by Edward Adjaho |
Order of precedence | ||
Preceded by John Dramani Mahama Vice President of Ghana |
Joyce Bamford-Addo Speaker of Parliament of Ghana 2009–12 |
Succeeded by Georgina Theodora Wood Chief Justice of Ghana |
Order of precedence | ||
Preceded by Kwesi Amissah-Arthur Vice President of Ghana |
Joyce Bamford-Addo Speaker of Parliament of Ghana 2012–13 |
Succeeded by Georgina Theodora Wood Chief Justice of Ghana |