Kow Essuman, legal Counsel at the office of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been sworn in as notaries public.
Mr Essuman together with 52 others were sworn in at the Supreme Court on Friday, February 18, 2022.
A Notary Public is a person authorised by a State to administer oaths, certify documents, attest to authenticity of signatures and perform official acts in commercial matters such as protecting negotiable instruments.
The Chief Justice, His Lordship Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, administered the oath at a brief ceremony.
He admonished the newly appointed Notaries Public to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of their office since they are officers of the court.
Also present at the event were Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Judicial Secretary, Justice Cynthia Pamela Addo and National Secretary of the Ghana Bar Association, Gyau Baffour.
Under the Notaries Public Act, 1960 (Act 26) the Chief Justice is empowered to appoint to be a Notary Public, any person whom he considers fit and proper to discharge the duties assigned to that office by law or by practice of commerce.
The practice therefore has been, and continues to be that, only a Lawyer of high moral character, and proven integrity, and not less than ten years standing as a lawyer is appointed as a Notary Public.
Kow Essuman is an international lawyer specialized in corporate and commercial litigation and arbitration.
He is currently serving as counsel at the office of the President of Ghana, Akufo Addo.
He was born and raised in Ghana until he left the country for England after he completed Prempeh College.
Kow Essuman obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B. Hons) from the University of Westminster in 2007.
While at university, he made the decision to become a barrister instead of a solicitor because there were fewer black barristers in England.
He applied and was accepted into the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, one of the four Inns of Court.
He completed BPP Law School with a Very Competent and was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales on 24 July 2008.
In 2009, Kow obtained a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) with Honors in International Mergers and Acquisitions and Financial Institutions, from Cornell University, one of the eight Ivy League institutions in the United States of America.
He then took the New York Bar Exam in July 2009 and passed on a first attempt – a feat rarely chalked by foreign lawyers.
According to the New York State Board of Law Examiners, the passing rate for all foreign-educated candidates who took the examination was 38.5% while foreign educated first time takers was 46.2%.
Kow was then admitted to the New York State Bar in January 2010 as an attorney and counselor-at-law.
By Vincent Kubi