Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo will represent the best interest of the people of Ghana on the Council of State.

She has indicated that she will be honest in her advice to the president, taking into consideration the best interest of not just the president but the function she plays on the council as a representative of the people.

Sophia Akufo-Addo made this known when she spoke to the media after she was sworn in by the president.

“I am there in my own right simply as a former Chief Justice; I am not even there representing the Judicial Council. The Council of State is a body that is supposed to be advising the president. I am not going to sing his master’s voice so to speak. An advisor does not parrot; an advisor speaks with honesty, an advisor looks to the best interest of not only the person they are advising but of the function the person is serving,” she said.

President John Mahama has sworn in newly appointed and elected members of the Council of State at Jubilee House on February 18, 2025.

Their selection aligns with Articles 89 to 92 of the 1992 Constitution, following elections across the 16 regions.

Edward Korbly Doe Adjaho, former Speaker of Parliament, has been appointed Chairman of the Council. Other institutional nominees include former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo, former IGP Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, former Chief of Defence Staff Michael Samson-Oje, and National House of Chiefs President Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II.

Additional nominees include traditional leaders like Daasebre Boamah Darko and Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, former Supreme Court Justice Vida Amankwah Akoto-Bamfo, ex-MP Cletus Avoka, former Health Minister Dr. Eunice Brookman-Amissah, and former Attorney General Betty Mould Iddrisu.

The 16 regional representatives, drawn from various professional fields, will serve throughout Mahama’s tenure unless they resign, become incapacitated, or are removed with parliamentary approval.

Representatives include Maxwell Boakye (Western), Hakeem Addae (Central), Nene Drolor Bosso Adamtey I (Greater Accra), and Dr. Kusi Boachie Yiadom (Bono).