Stories and facts

Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo is a Ghanaian barrister and judge who made history as the first female Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, serving from 2009 to 2013.

She was also the first woman to be elected to that position in the West African sub-region. Before this, she became Ghana's first female Supreme Court Justice in 1991, a role she held until her voluntary retirement in 2004.

Born to an English father and a Ghanaian mother from Aburi, Bamford-Addo received her early education in Cape Coast and later attended Holy Child School.

She trained as a barrister in the UK, joining the Inner Temple and being called to the English Bar in 1961, followed by the Ghana Bar in 1962.

Her career in Ghana’s legal system began as an Assistant State Attorney, rising to become Director of Public Prosecutions in 1976, a role she held for a decade.

In politics, she was elected unopposed as Speaker of the Fourth Parliament of Ghana's Fourth Republic after the 2008 elections, becoming the highest-ranking female politician in Ghana's history.

She was instrumental in drafting Ghana’s 1992 Constitution as the Second Deputy Speaker of the Consultative Assembly.

Explore more about Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo's life below.