Minister for Justice

Meet Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, the Second Woman to be Ghana’s Attorney General and Minister for Justice

Marietta Brew AppiahOppong is the perfect definition of slow and steady wins the race. Within 20 years of her practice in the Ghanaian legal system, she rose gradually to occupy some of the top public offices in the country’s legal system, through which she garnered experience within and beyond the borders of Ghana.

Though notable in Ghana’s legal sector, Appiah-Oppong, born and raised in Tema, Ghana, started humbly like some other practitioners in the system.

The humble beginning

Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong’s journey started at the Tema Parents Association School and St Roses Senior High (Akwatia), where she received her Ordinary Level Certificate (O level) and Advanced Level Certificate (A level). She proceeded to the University of Ghana, Legon, where she received a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and was then called to the Ghanaian Bar in 1994. AppiahOppong also has a graduate diploma in Law and Development from the Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands.

Upon completion, she started practising at Fugar and Co. law firm before proceeding to Lithur Brew and Company as a shareholder and director in 2000.

With years of practice under her belt, she is an exceptional litigator with vast experience in areas such as commercial law, transactions, and general corporate advice.

Serving in a public office

Owing to her exceptional expertise in the industry, she was appointed as the Attorney General and Minister for Justice of Ghana in 2013.

This makes her the second woman to occupy the position after Betty Mould-Iddrisu and the 23rd in Ghana. She served in the position for four years. This was during the tenure of ex-President John Dramani Mahama.

She served as the legal advisor to the government of Ghana. She represents the president, the country, and its ministries and agencies in all legal matters.

As the minister of justice, she supervises the ministry, overseeing government legal activities and drafting and presenting legislation to the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana. She also represents the country before major international tribunals.

Some of the international tribunals are the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

Under her leadership in the ITLOS dispute, she and her team won Ghana’s maritime case with Cote D’Ivoire.

With her impeccable record, while serving as the attorney general and minister for justice, she was appointed to the International Chamber of Commerce court of arbitration in 2018. She served for three years.

Her experience in the offices further enriched her portfolio. It expanded her horizon of the legal world both in the private and public sectors within and beyond the border of Ghana.

With this, she returned to the firm with a wealth of experience and knowledge. Currently, she is the managing partner of Lithur Brew and Company and an honorary Council Member of the Ghana Association of Restructuring and Insolvency Advisors (GARIA).

She was also once a member of Ghana at 50 Commission of Enquiry and a Board Member of the Volta River Authority (VRA).