Forty five years of mastering the rules, reading the moves, and navigating complex legal disputes, public service and national affairs. He is a refined veteran of the legal profession.

 

Ayikoi Otoo was called to the Bar in 1981 alongside several distinguished contemporaries, including:

 

• Anin Yeboah, CJ

• Mariama Owusu, JSC

• Clemence J. Hoenyenugah, JSC

• Barbara Ackah-Yensu, JSC

• Justice Gyaesayor, JA

• Justice Novisi Aryeni, JA

• Justice Kusi-Appiah, JA

• Kofi Abada, High Court Judge

• K. K. Kurankyi, High Court Judge

• Papa Owusu-Ankomah, former Attorney General and High Commissioner

• Prof. Kofi Quarshigah, former Dean, University of Ghana School of Law

• William Kwadwo Asiedu, former Director General, Ghana Prisons Service

• Kwaku Ansah Asare, former Director, Ghana School of Law

• Patrick Foster Gboney, Esq.

• Ernest Thompson, Esq., former Director General, SSNIT

• Nancy Dakwa Ampofo, Esq.

• Rev. Priscilla Naana Nketiah, Esq.

• Kofi Dua Adonten, former Director General, Ghana Post

• Adu Daku Mante, former MP for Korle Klottey

• Abednego Tetteh Mensah, former Assistant Director, EOCO

• Nyarko Adu, Esq., former DCE, Nsawam Adoagyiri

• Alfred Agbesi, former MP for Ashaiman

• Kofi Addo, Esq.

• Koney, Esq., former Deputy Director General, Prisons Service

• Sir John, Esq.

• Dr. Richard Kuuire, former Director General, Prisons Service and now MP for Nandom

• Mangowa Christian, Esq.

• Kwame Mfodwo, Member, Ghana Boundary Technical Committee

• Augustus Agyemang Esq -Australia

•Berefi Apenteng former Director General GBC

• Hon. Kobina Fosu Esq., former Minister of Works and Housing and former Central Regional Minister.

 

These distinguished lawyers have shaped Ghana’s legal landscape.

 

After Ayikoi Otoo completed his mandatory one year national service, he sojourned to Nigeria before returning to Ghana, where he then joined Adamafio & Associates, a law firm in Accra.

 

For over two decades, he practised at the firm, honing his skills and establishing himself as a formidable practitioner at the Bar.

In the early 2000s, he established his own chambers, Otoo & Associates Leo Chambers, in Accra.

 

His commitment to the legal profession extended beyond his private practice. He served as Regional Secretary and President of the Greater Accra Regional Bar Association for two terms. He subsequently served as National Secretary of the Ghana Bar Association for three consecutive terms.

 

He also worked alongside his learned colleague, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Esq., on the National Council of the Ghana Bar Association.

 

As a legal practitioner, Ayikoi Otoo handled several high profile cases, many of which found their way into the Ghana Law Reports and the Supreme Court of Ghana Law Reports.

 

More recently, he was the Lead Counsel for former Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkonoo, together with Dr. Bondzie-Simpson, Esq., and Adu Kusi, Esq., during the removal proceedings before the Pwamang Committee.

 

Indeed, 45 years at the Bar is more than a number. It represents decades of courtroom battles, legal arguments, changing jurisprudence, and an intimate understanding of the intricate game of law.

 

His experience at the Bar eventually opened the doors to higher national service.

 

In 2005, President John Agyekum Kufuor appointed him Attorney General and Minister for Justice, succeeding Papa Owusu-Ankomah. He served in that capacity until April 2006, when he was reassigned following a ministerial reshuffle. His contribution to public life, however, did not end with his tenure as Attorney General.

 

In 2010, he served as Chairman of the Constitutional Committee of the New Patriotic Party and was also a member of the party’s vetting committee for the 2011 presidential primaries.

 

His service to Ghana later took him beyond the shores of the country. In March 2017, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Esq. appointed Ayikoi as Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada, where he represented the Republic until 2021. But the chessboard of his career has never been confined to litigation and politics.

 

Ayikoi Otoo also engaged in corporate practice. He served as a member of the Interim Management Team of Sabat Motors and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of SIC Insurance Company. He is a director of GLICO Groupe.

 

He is also a Fellow of the Boardroom Institute (FBI) and has continued to bring his wealth of experience to corporate governance.

Beyond the courtroom, boardroom and diplomatic arena, Ayikoi Otoo continues to contribute to the preservation of culture, heritage and education.

 

Currently, he serves as President of the GaDangme Council, an association dedicated to the preservation and promotion of GaDangme culture and languages. The Council runs a scholarship programme aimed at training Ga and Dangme language teachers at the Accra College of Education. The Council has also secured ten full scholarships each year for brilliant but needy GaDangme students at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).

 

This aspect of his service reflects yet another dimension of his remarkable journey: using his experience and influence not only to serve the law and the Republic, but also to preserve heritage and create opportunities for the next generation.

 

From the courtroom to the boardroom, from the Office of the Attorney General to the diplomatic arena, and now to the preservation of culture and education, the career of Ayikoi Otoo reflects a remarkable breadth of experience. He is a lawyer who has spent 45 years learning the rules of the game, understanding its players, anticipating its moves, and, when necessary, making the decisive move.

 

The entire family of Legal Academy celebrates Ayikoi Otoo Esq. and the remarkable journey he has undertaken in the service of the law, the Republic, the legal profession, culture and education. Honourable, the younger generation of lawyers will not forget the light hearted moments during the contempt proceedings involving Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John, and Hopeson Adorye before the Supreme Court.

 

But for your world class advocacy and exceptional skills, the gesture by H/L Atuguba clearly showed that the Bench could have handed down hefty punishment on the contemnors. You did exceptionally well.

 

We pray that the Lord continues to grant you good health, wisdom, and strength.

 

Give him his roses while he lives.

Happy 45th Anniversary at the Bar.

 

By: Faith Klenam, your Corporate Secretary

Assistant Admin, Legal Academy.