Sophia Akuffo is a former Chief Justice of Ghana
Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo says she stands by her decision to join pensioners who picketed the Ministry of Finance in 2023 over the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition on Thursday, February 26, 2026, she said she believes it is important to speak out when something appears unlawful or unfair, whether it’s the National Democratic Congress (NDC) or the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in power.
“You don’t sit there and just let unlawful things be done, and if you feel strongly about it and there’s no one to listen to you, you shout it out,” she said.
The Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), introduced as part of Ghana’s economic recovery efforts, included provisions that affected bondholders, including pensioners. The move sparked protests from retirees who argued that the decision would significantly reduce their income.
Akuffo clarified that she was not present at the boardroom meeting where the decision was taken.
“First and foremost, I wasn’t there in that boardroom when that decision was made to give people haircuts, whether they liked it or not,” she stated.
However, she said her absence from the meeting would not have changed her response to the policy.
“But even if I had been, and I had disagreed, and despite my strenuous position, it went ahead to the extent that I think it’s wrong and that it’s in the interest of the public to know that it’s wrong, yes, I would have come out and done it,” she said.
Source:
www.ghanaweb.com