President Mahama has, appointed Mrs. Charlotte Kesson Smith Osei as Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana becoming the first woman to hold the position since independence in 1957.  

The President’s appointment is in accordance with Article 70(2) of the 1992 Constitution.

A statement signed by Chief of Staff Julius Debrah said Mrs. Osei who replaces Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan was until her appointment the Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education. 

Mrs. Osei, a lawyer with considerable experience in public service management, institutional reform also has expertise in corporate law, banking, insurance, project financing and public-private partnerships.  

The new EC Chairperson holds a Masters in Law (LLM) from Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada and a Masters in Business Leadership from the University of South Africa, Pretoria. She obtained an LLB (Hons) from the University of Ghana in 1992. 

Her appointment ends weeks of speculation about who will replace a colossus in Ghana’s electoral administration Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan who is retiring after almost 20 years at the helm.

Mrs Osei is thought to have been propped up into the limelight by the late President Mills when he first made her a member of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB).