Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has emphasised the importance of prioritising competency over all other considerations, especially by women leaders, to ensure excellence, effectiveness and fairness in their roles.
Speaking at the “Women in Leadership in the Public Sector” Conference in Accra, she stated that her success in various positions, including her current role as Chief Justice, had been driven by competence.
Chief Justice Torkornoo responded to a call for women to demonstrate that trait in leadership positions, saying that her decisions had always been based on legal knowledge, regardless of public opinion.
“I realised that what has held me up is the assurance of competence.
“Simply, no decision that I have made in my role as Chief Justice or in my capacity as president of a panel of the Supreme Court has come from anything but the knowledge of law,” she said, stressing that the law must be upheld without bending to public pressure.
Chief Justice Torkornoo said regardless of public pressure, “the law is the law” and that the only proper response to demands for special treatment is to uphold the legal framework.
“No matter how many noises are made, the law is the law and the only answer one can give to all the hand waving is the legal answer,” she said.
Justice Torkornoo said Ghana did not seek judges who bent the law to favour individuals, affirming her commitment to ensuring that everyone received justice according to the law.
She urged women to let competence guide their actions in all leadership roles to make for effective and fair leadership.
Mrs Rose Karikari Annang, the Deputy Chair, National Labour Commission, said despite efforts to address gender disparities in leadership, a gap still remained.
She attributed this to persistent stereotypes about women attaining leadership roles through unethical means rather than competence.
Mrs Annang encouraged women to continue developing the necessary skills to qualify for key leadership positions.
The conference was on the theme: “Leadership Redefined: Women Navigating Challenges and Inspiring Change in the Public Sector.”
It underscored the importance of competence in overcoming the challenges women face in leadership.
