Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has publicly questioned how Ghana’s state institutions were managed over the past eight years, contrasting their current performance under the present administration with what he described as previous failures that nearly led to the sale of key national assets.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) in Accra on Wednesday, following an earlier tour of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), the Chief Justice expressed astonishment at the transformation he had witnessed.
“I must congratulate you. You have done marvellously well. Sometimes when we hear about the things that you have done and the things that some organisations are doing now, we wonder. Some of us keep wondering what we really have been doing in the past eight years,” he stated .
‘How Ghana Could Have Sunk So Low’
The Chief Justice drew particular attention to SSNIT’s reversal of fortune, noting that the institution had previously considered selling some of its prime assets.
“We’ve just come back from SSNIT this morning, and the kind of things that we heard, if you compare that to the fact that not too long ago, SSNIT was preparing to sell its prized assets like Labadi Beach Hotel, you wonder how Ghana could have sunk so low,” he remarked .
His comments come amid SSNIT’s recent assurances that its hotel portfolio, including Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, would not be sold . The Trust has instead been exploring expansion options for Labadi Beach Hotel and has engaged consultants to develop a five-year turnaround strategy for its other hospitality assets .
MIIF’s Remarkable Turnaround
The Chief Justice’s visit to MIIF highlighted the fund’s extraordinary performance despite significant legislative challenges. In 2025, MIIF posted an audited profit of GH¢1.1 billion, even after amendments to the MIIF Act reduced its share of mineral royalties from 77.6% to just 2% . The fund collected GH¢5.39 billion in mineral royalties during the first half of 2026 alone—more than double the GH¢2.6 billion recorded in the same period in 2025 .
According to the Chief Justice, such progress underscores the importance of proper management and prudent use of public resources. “I think maybe you have achieved all this through proper management and the use of resources and the recognition of the fact that we are not here for ourselves,” he told MIIF management .
A Call to Serve the People
The Chief Justice, who was sworn into office in November 2025 after serving as Acting Chief Justice since April 2025 , urged public officials to focus on the legacy they would leave behind and to place citizens at the centre of their work.
“Whatever we should aim at is how we want to be remembered for the stewardship that we were given,” he said, drawing on the judiciary’s philosophy that “power is for the people” .
He explained that the quality of public service delivery begins from a citizen’s first interaction with an institution. “Even the receptionist who receives you, how he talks to you will give you an impression as to whether justice is going to be delivered or not,” he noted .
He further encouraged the management of MIIF to contribute to the success of President John Dramani Mahama’s development agenda, stating that presidential appointments reflect confidence in individuals’ ability to deliver .
Growing Debate Over Judicial Comments
The Chief Justice’s remarks have generated debate, with some critics questioning whether the head of the Judiciary should be making comments that could be perceived as taking a political position .
Legal scholar Professor Kwaku Asare cautioned that the phrase “the past eight years” carries “an unmistakable partisan meaning in our political discourse” and, coming from the Chief Justice, could be understood as “an assessment of one administration relative to another” . He stressed that judicial independence requires restraint from both politicians and judges, adding that “judges, particularly the Chief Justice, must also exercise the restraint necessary to stay out of the partisan political arena” .
Former Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah also expressed bewilderment at the Chief Justice’s tour of state-owned enterprises, describing it as “unprecedented” . Civil society activist Dr Steve Manteaw similarly called on the Chief Justice to desist from public commentary on government performance .
A Distinguished Judicial Career
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, born on December 26, 1956, in Goaso in the Ahafo Region, has served on the Supreme Court since his appointment by former President John Agyekum Kufuor in June 2008 . He previously served as a Circuit Court Judge in Kumasi, a High Court Judge at Duayaw Nkwanta, and was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2006 . He is married to Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service .
The Chief Justice’s visits to SSNIT and MIIF form part of broader engagements with state institutions as he seeks to understand their operations and performance.
