On April 29, 2025, a letter signed by the Executive Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, and addressed to the acting Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, indicated that seven Justices of the Court of Appeal had been nominated for consideration for appointment to the Supreme Court bench.
The Justices are Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, Gbiel Simon Suurbaareh, Senyo Dzamefe, Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo, Philip Bright Mensah, Janpere Bartels-Kodwo and Hafisata Ameleboba. The seven were nominated by President Mahama in accordance with Article 144(2) of the 1992 Constitution.
After a rigorous vetting by Parliament, the Justices were approved last week. The approval of the seven, who currently serve on the Court of Appeal bench, came after the House had adopted the report of the 11-member Appointments Committee on the nominees.
During the vetting, one person who addressed widespread public perception that Ghana’s family law disproportionately favours women in divorce settlements was Justice Hafisata Amaleboba. She firmly refuted such claims, emphasising that the law treats both men and women equally.
“The law is not gender-based, even if it may appear that way in some cases and distribution of property in marriage is guided by equity, not whether one is male or female,” she noted.
Referencing Article 22 of the 1992 Constitution, Justice Amaleboba explained that property acquired during a marriage was to be shared equitably, without regard to the sex of the spouses.
According to her, the focus is on fairness and contribution, not identity.
Who is Justice Hafisata Amaleboba?
Her Ladyship, Justice Amaleboba, was born on June 7, 1973, in Accra. She is a native of Wa in the Upper West Region and was among the 15 Justices appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2022 by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Before her elevation to the Court of Appeal, she had served as a High Court judge since August 2014. She has been a Superior Court Judge for the past 11 years.
Justice Amaleboba was called to the Ghana Bar in October 1998 and is currently 26 years at the Bar. She joined the Bench with a little over 15 years of experience from private legal practice. Before joining the Bench, she was the Managing Partner of the erstwhile law firm, Amal Law Consult, a firm she co-founded in the year 2008, with its offices in Accra.
Her specialisation at Amal Law Consult was in various aspects of Commercial litigation, consultancy and negotiations for a wide range of local and international clients.
Before she co–founded Amal Law Consult, she had, during different periods from 1998, practiced law as an associate of the law firms Justking and Associates and Peasah–Boadu and Company, both in Accra.
According to her, “in these firms, I gained vast legal knowledge and experience in land law, commercial law, investment law and many other areas of law. Since joining the Judicial Service of Ghana in 2014, as a High Court Judge, I have been a Judge in Courts in the General Jurisdiction, Land Division and in the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Division (now the Family Court).”
“While in these stated Courts, I have been assigned additional responsibility for hearing Probate cases and Judicial Review Applications. I was also issued a Warrant to sit on a treason case, with two other Judges. Presently, in the Court of Appeal, where I sit as a member of a panel of three, I determine cases of varied subject matter. As an Appeal Court Judge, I have sat in Courts of Appeal in Kumasi, Accra and Koforidua. I am presently a member of the Koforidua panel. However, I am occasionally empanelled to sit in Accra,” she stated.
In the Judicial Service, she had also performed other duties and functions assigned to her.
“I am presently the Judicial Service’s Representative/nominee to the Legal Service Board (Attorney–General’s Department). Between November 2020 to June 2023, I was a Judge attached to the Complaints Unit of the Judicial Service. I have also chaired several disciplinary and Administrative Committees.”
Education
Justice Amaleboba started her education at the Jack and Jill International School at Roman Ridge in Accra. After a brief period here, she moved to Kotoka Primary School at Burma Camp in Accra, where she wrote the Common Entrance Examinations.
After passing the Common Entrance Examinations, she proceeded to St Rose’s Secondary School, Akwatia in the Eastern Region, where she wrote the Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations. She was then admitted to the University of Ghana, Legon, where she studied Law, graduating in 1996, with a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) (Second Class Upper Division).
“I proceeded to the Ghana School of Law for my Professional Law Course, which I passed, and was called to the Ghana Bar in 1998. I am presently studying for a Master's of Law Degree in Data Protection and Intellectual Property Law.”
She is married with three children and is a Christian. She is also a member of the Christian Professional Fellowship (CPF), where she sometimes mounts the pulpit to preach the word of God.
hadiza.quansah@gmail.com
