Joe Ghartey

Joe Ghartey is a lawyer who has held some of the highest offices in Ghana's legal and political system: Attorney-General and Minister for Justice under President Kufuor, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Minister for Railways Development under President Akufo-Addo. He represented Essikado-Ketan in the Western Region for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from 2013 to 2025.

Mfantsipim and the Bar

Ghartey was born in Accra on 15 June 1961 to Lauraine Ghartey, a teacher, and Joseph Ghartey, a public servant; his family comes from Shama. He attended Ridge Church School and Mfantsipim, earned his LLB at the University of Ghana in 1986 and was called to the Bar in 1988. After national service with the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem District Assembly he worked at Lawyer Gwira's chambers in Sekondi and then spent seven years at Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co. In 1994 he co-founded Ghartey and Ghartey with his wife, the lawyer Efua Ghartey.

Human rights and teaching

He co-founded the Ghana Committee on Human and Peoples' Rights and chaired the Inter-African Network of Human Rights Organisations. He has taught investment law at the University of Ghana Business School and corporate governance at GIMPA, and in 2004 wrote Doing Business and Investing in Ghana.

Public office

Kufuor appointed him Attorney-General in 2006, a post he held until 2009. He won Essikado-Ketan in 2012 and served as Second Deputy Speaker from 2013 to 2017, then as Minister for Railways Development from 2017 to 2021. Grace Ayensu-Danquah of the National Democratic Congress won the seat in 2024.