Betty Mould-Iddrisu

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Betty Mould-Iddrisu
Minister for Education
In office
Jan 2011 – Jan 2012
PresidentJohn Atta Mills
Preceded byAlex Tettey-Enyo
Succeeded byEnoch Teye Mensah
Attorney General and Minister for Justice
In office
Feb 2009 – Jan 2011
PresidentJohn Atta Mills
Preceded byJoe Ghartey
Succeeded byMartin Amidu
Personal details
Born
Betty Mould

(1953-03-22) 22 March 1953 (age 71)
NationalityGhanaian
Political partyNational Democratic Congress
SpouseAlhaji Mahama Iddrisu
RelationsAlex Mould (brother)
EducationAchimota School
Accra Academy
Alma mater
ProfessionLawyer
Known forFirst female Attorney General of Ghana

Betty Nah-Akuyea Mould-Iddrisu (born 22 March 1953[1][2]) is a Ghanaian lawyer and politician. A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), she was Minister for Education in Ghana from 2011 to 2012,[3][4] after serving as Attorney General and Minister for Justice of Ghana from 2009 to 2011.[5][6] She was the first woman to lead the Attorney General's Office in Ghana.[7] Prior to politics, she had been the Head of Legal and Constitutional Affairs at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.[8]

Mould-Iddrisu had been one of those thought to be the likely nominee for Vice President of Ghana on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).[9]

Education[edit]

Betty Mould-Iddrisu was born on 22 March 1953. She had her early education at Ghana International School and attended Achimota School and Accra Academy for her secondary education.[10][11] She obtained a bachelor's degree in law (L.L.B) from the University of Ghana, Legon between 1973 and 1976.[12][13] Her academic qualifications include a Master's Degree gained in 1978 from the London School of Economics.

Career[edit]

In 2003, Mould-Iddrisu was appointed the Director of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, an inter-governmental organisation comprising 53 member states based in London. Some of the highlights of her time at the Secretariat include overseeing implementation of mandates in the area of transnational crime, counter terrorism and international humanitarian law. She oversaw the implementation of the Secretariats programmes on anti-corruption, asset recovery and judicial ethics. In addition, she implemented diverse legal program's through judicial reforms, legislative drafting and building capacity in the legal field in the Commonwealth among-st others.[14][citation needed]

She has given advice to Heads of States, Ministers and she is frequently called upon to give high level advice to governments, politicians and civil society. She also advises member states in the areas of international law, constitutional law and human rights and organizes high level ministerial and senior officials meetings. She headed the Secretariat Team of the Electoral Observer Group to the 2006 Ugandan Elections.[15]

She acts as In-house-Chief legal adviser to the Secretary General and Secretariat. In that capacity she manages a team of lawyers from diverse backgrounds and is responsible for managing her divisional budget and sourcing for extra budgetary resources. She also assists the Secretary General and his two Deputies in management of the Secretariat and represents the secretariat at Tribunals and Courts. Between 1990 and 2000, at a time she was fulfilling her duties at the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat, she taught at the law faculty of University of Ghana, also publishing various papers and articles on intellectual property.[16][14]

Politics[edit]

Attorney-General of Ghana[edit]

Mould-Iddrisu was sworn in in February, 2009 as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General by President John Evans Atta Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana.[17] She was the first female to be appointed to that role in Ghana.

Resignation[edit]

Mould-Iddrisu resigned from the government in January 2012 with reasons not made known to the public. President Mills accepts resignation of Mould-Iddrisu, the next day [18][19] This was a few days after her successor as Attorney-General was sacked by the President.[20] She had been under pressure in relation to a case while she was serving as the Attorney-General.[21] She was succeeded at the Education Ministry by Enoch Teye Mensah.[22]

Opinion on State of Affairs in Ghana[edit]

In July 2023, she interrogated the importance of the Office of Special Prosecutions, suggesting that it was set up by the National Patriotic Party (NPP) government to go after people they disagreed with politically. She also added that lessens the power of the office of the Attorney General.[23]

Personal life[edit]

Betty Mould-Iddrisu is the wife of former Minister of Defence Mahama Iddrisu and the elder sister of Alex Mould, a former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.[24][25][26]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Betty Mould-Iddrisu | Profile | Africa Confidential". Africa-confidential. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  2. ^ Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership: The Republic of Ghana
  3. ^ "Cabinet reshuffle: Zita dropped, Betty for education". Ghana Home Page. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  4. ^ "Betty Mould Iddrisu, Republic of Ghana: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  5. ^ "First woman Attorney-General Sworn In". Ghanaweb. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  6. ^ "NDC women were pleasantly stunned with Mahama's choice of Naana Opoku-Agyeman - Betty Mould-Iddrisu - MyJoyOnline.com". Myjoyonline. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  7. ^ "First woman Attorney-General Sworn In". General News of Thursday, 26 February 2009. Ghana Home Page. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  8. ^ Emmanuel K. Dogbevi. "Betty Mould Iddrissu Disappointed". The Ghanaian Journal. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  9. ^ "Betty Mould-Iddrissu ready to run with Mills". MyZongo. Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  10. ^ ""I just wished he could have lived longer" - Betty Mould-Iddrisu mourns Rawlings". The Ghana Report. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Accra Academy old students launch scholarship scheme". Graphic Online. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Betty Mould-Iddrisu: Ghana's first female Attorney General – Today Newspaper". Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Ministers". ghanareview.com. Ghana Review. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Pioneer African Women in Law". African Women in Law. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Betty Mould-Iddrisu Biography | Profile | Ghana". www.peacefmonline.com. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Moynihan Institute of global affairs -Betty Mould-Iddrisu". Archived from the original on 12 November 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  17. ^ "First woman Attorney-General Sworn In". GhanaWeb. 26 February 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  18. ^ Online, Peace FM. "Former A-G, Betty Mould-Iddrisu Resigns". Peacefmonline - Ghana news. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  19. ^ Dogbevi, Emmanuel (24 January 2012). "President Mills accepts Betty Mould-Iddrisu's resignation Letter". Ghana Business News. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  20. ^ "President Mills Relieves Attorney-General Of His Post". Ghana Government. Archived from the original on 22 April 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  21. ^ "Education Minister Betty Mould-Iddrisu resigns". General News. Ghana Home Page. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  22. ^ "E.T. Mensah Takes Over Education". General News. Ghana Home Page. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  23. ^ "Betty Mould-Iddrisu questions relevance of OSP, says it was set up for political prosecutions". ModernGhana. 10 July 2023.
  24. ^ "NDC presidential race: Betty Mould, husband support me – Iddrisu". Ghanaweb. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  25. ^ "When The Moulds, Re-Mould Our Lives". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  26. ^ "When The Moulds, Re-Mould Our Lives". News Ghana. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
Political offices
Preceded by
Ambrose Dery
 Attorney General and Minister for Justice
2009 – 2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Education
2011 – 2012 		Succeeded by
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