Historic: Bar Association elects Ghartey, Barth as first female President, Vice President

The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has elected two leading lawyers in Ghana as its next President and Vice President. They are Efua Ghartey (president) and Victoria Barth (Vice President). Afua Ghartey will succeed Yaw Acheampong Boafo who has served as the GBA president from September 2021 till date .

Efua Ghartey polled 1,279 votes representing 54.24% of the valid votes cast to beat her contender, Agbesi Dzakpasu, who polled 1,060, representing 44.95%. Victoria Barth polled 1,624 votes, 68.87% while her challenger, Ebenezer Kwatoo, secured 495 votes representing 20.99% of the valid votes cast.

GBA’s election of both Mrs Ghartey and Mrs Barth to these top positions, marks a momentous occasion, breaking the association’s previous male-dominated leadership structure. Efua Ghartey, a seasoned lawyer of over 30 years’ standing at the Bar and with an extensive track record of service to the GBA, is running for national president for the third time.

Her two previous attempts ended in a narrow loss to Tony Forson, the immediate past president of the GBA, and Yaw Boafo, the current national president, by thin margins of 67 and 65 votes, respectively. Undeterred by these setbacks, Mrs Ghartey has spent the past six years consistently voicing her intention to lead the GBA.

Many believe that her perseverance, combined with her advocacy for women’s rights, makes her the favourite in this election. A victory for Mrs Ghartey would represent a shift towards a more progressive Bar.

Record of service

Victoria Barth is a highly accomplished legal professional, well known for her stellar academic career at the Ghana School of Law, where she has mentored and taught many young lawyers.

Mrs Barth’s candidacy garnered significant support, especially among the younger members of the Bar. She was a key member of the legal team that represented President Nana Akufo-Addo during the 2021 election petition, further consolidating her legal prowess and reputation.

Background

The Ghana Bar Association, a professional association of lawyers in Ghana, elected its next president at its 2024 annual general conference held at the Great Hall of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Wednesday, 11 September 2024.

Under the theme “Peaceful, Fair and Transparent Election: The Key to Sustainable Democracy”, the 2024 annual general conference is the last to be presided over by the outgoing GBA president, Yaw Acheampong Boafo. After serving as the national secretary of the GBA, Acheampong Boafo was elected at the 2021 Bar Conference as national president for a three-year term.

He took over the leadership of the Bar Association from Anthony Forson Jnr after Forson left office without seeking re-election, having served a full three-year term.

Acheampong Boafo beat Efua Ghartey by 605 votes (52.83%) to 540 votes (47.16%) in the election, held during the 2021 annual Bar Conference at the Fountain Gate Chapel in Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region.

Three years on, Efua Ghartey made a return bid for the GBA presidency. Her main contender this time round was Agbesi Kwadzo Dzakpasu, who is nine years her junior. Mrs Ghartey was called to the Bar in 1991: and Dzakpasu was called in 2000.

Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra

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