Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has staunchly defended her decision to join pensioners in a picket against the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) in 2023, stating she has no regrets and would participate again if the opportunity arose.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition on Thursday, February 26, 2026, Akuffo reiterated her firm stance on the matter.
“If I had to do it again, I would do it,” she declared emphatically.
The retired Chief Justice made headlines when she appeared on the picket line outside the Ministry of Finance on February 10, 2023, alongside pensioners protesting the inclusion of their bond investments in the controversial DDEP, which involved haircuts on domestic debt holdings.
She held a placard that read: “We use our bond yields to pay our rent, medical bills, electricity bills and water bills,” highlighting the hardship faced by retirees dependent on these investments for daily living expenses.
Host George Wiafe asked what prompted her to take the bold and unexpected step, which many viewed as unusual for someone of her stature.
Akuffo responded directly: “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 added that even if she had been involved and her opposition was overruled, she would have spoken out publicly if she believed the action was wrong and against public interest.
For Akuffo, the issue was fundamentally about principle rather than public perception or protocol.
“So it’s something which I always say, if I had to do it again, I would do it,” she emphasized.
She dismissed expectations that a former Chief Justice should limit herself to private counsel, explaining that her upbringing and legal training compelled her to act against perceived wrongdoing.
“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.
Recounting how she joined the protest, Akuffo described it as spontaneous and personal rather than planned.
“I saw that there were some people picketing, and I saw somebody I knew on that picket line. Phoned her and said, ‘Was it you I saw?’ She said, Yes. And I said, Okay, are you going again? And she said, Yes. I said, Can I join? And so I went.”
She maintained that her participation was fully consistent with her judicial background and commitment to justice.