GBA elects Efua Ghartey as first female President

Efua Ghartey, a legal practitioner with over 30 years of experience, has made history by becoming the first female President of the Ghana Bar Association.

This milestone was achieved during the GBA election held at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Efua Ghartey received 1,208 votes, surpassing her opponent Kwadzo Dzakpasu who secured 1,060 votes.

Lawyer Efua Ghartey, Newly-elected President of the Ghana Bar Association

This victory comes after two previous attempts to lead the Association, where she narrowly lost to Tony Forson and Yaw Boafo in past elections by margins of 67 and 65 votes respectively.

In 1994, Efua Ghartey co-founded the law firm Ghartey & Ghartey with Joe Ghartey.

Meanwhile,  Efua Ghartey’s closest contender Lawyer Agbesi K. Dzakpasu has congratulated the newly elected GBA President for her victory.

Read the full statement by Lawyer Agbesi K. Dzakpasu

Profile of Lawyer Efua Ghartey

Efua Ghartey is co-founder of Ghartey & Ghartey. She graduated from the University of Ghana, Legon in 1991. She also has a Certificate in Basic and Advanced Securities from the Ghana Stock Exchange and a Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution awarded jointly by the California State University, Sacramento Centre for African Peace and Conflict Resolution, and the University of Ghana, Legon, Centre for International Affairs.

Efua is a Barrister, Solicitor, and Notary Public. Efua Ghartey is a member of the International Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA) and has held several executive positions in FIDA (Ghana). She has actively participated in FIDA’s mediation, conciliation and settlement procedures.

Since 1992, she has served as Chairperson/Member/Secretary of several Boards and Organisations involved in various activities centred on children, education, aviation, export financing, media, and publishing.

Apart from serving on several committees of the Ghana Bar Association, she was a member of the National Executive of the Ghana Bar Association for ten years. When the Chief Justice’s Annual Mentoring Programme was initiated in Ghana in 2007, she was the Moderator/ Speaker for 10 years.

She is the Immediate Past President of the Greater Accra Branch of the Ghana Bar Association, a position she held for 6 (six) years, and was a member of the National Council of the Bar Association for a collective period of 16 (sixteen years).

As Head of Chambers at Ghartey & Ghartey, she oversees all the Firm’s practice areas. She, however, focuses on Investment Law, Corporate Law, Corporate Litigation, and Company Law. She also oversees the Firm’s Private Client practice directly. She has considerable experience in litigation and has appeared before all the courts in Ghana, including the Supreme Court.

Mrs. Ghartey is also well-versed in the practice area of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and has served as a Mediator in the Court-connected ADR system introduced at the Commercial Division of the High Courts on several occasions.

Efua Ghartey was the Chairperson of the Global Board of the United Bible Societies Worldwide from November 2016 to November 2019, after serving on the Global Board for seven (7) years. Efua has also completed a six-year tenure as Chairperson of the Bible Society of Ghana after serving on the Board in Ghana for fifteen (15) years. She served her term successfully as the Chairperson of the Board of World Vision Ghana after being the Vice Chair and a member for nine (9) years.

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Source: Jerry Akornor