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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has named Joe Ghartey as the new Board Chair of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Joe Ghartey, currently serving as the Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan, will succeed Dr. Tony Oteng Gyasi in this role. Ghartey’s primary responsibility will be to oversee reforms and optimize the operations of the GRA.
The previous GRA board, led by Dr. Anthony Oteng-Gyasi, which was instrumental in driving the nation’s revenue collection efforts, was disbanded by President Akufo-Addo on March 28, 2024.
Consequently, the Commissioner General of the GRA, Rev Dr. Amishaddai Owusu-Amoah, was also removed from his position. Miss Julie Essiam, who formerly headed the Support Services Division at GRA, has been appointed as his successor.
Joe Ghartey’s Profile
Joe Ghartey, 62, is a lawyer, academic, and politician from Ghana. He was previously appointed as the Railways and Development Minister by President Akufo-Addo on January 11, 2017, serving until January 7, 2021. Born in Shama, Western Region, Ghartey was a student leader at Mfantsipim School, promoting sports and student engagement.
After Mfantsipim, he pursued law, earning his LLB (Hons) from the University of Ghana in 1986 and his BL from the Ghana School of Law in 1988. Ghartey completed his national service as a legal officer for the Komenda Eguafo Abirem District Assembly and worked as an associate at lawyer Gwira’s chambers in Sekondi.
He later joined Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co., a prominent law firm, before co-founding Ghartey & Ghartey with his wife Efua in 1994. As Senior Partner, he has provided legal counsel in various fields, including taxation, labor law, environmental law, and corporate law, and has advocated for human rights.
Ghartey has been actively involved in human rights education through the Ghana Committee on Human and Peoples Rights and has supported multiple constituencies across Ghana. He was a key figure in the NPP’s Western Regional Presidential Campaign Team in 2000 and has served as the MP for Essikado/Ketan since 2004.
During President Kufuor’s administration, Ghartey held roles as Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, later becoming the substantive Attorney-General and Minister of Justice from June 2006 until January 2009. His tenure was marked by significant initiatives like the Justice for All program, which aimed to improve access to justice for remand prisoners.
Ghartey’s contributions to the legal and political landscape of Ghana have been significant, earning him recognition as a distinguished public servant.
