Justice Francis Korbieh recounts early educational struggles in Ghana

Retired Justice of the Court of Appeal, Francis Gyafiiry Korbieh, has shared details regarding his early life and the challenges he faced to obtain an education in Ghana’s Upper West Region.

During an interview on Joy FM, Korbieh recalled walking approximately 10 miles each way to attend primary school because his home village lacked educational facilities. He described a rigorous routine where he would attend school for one week, walk home for two days, and then return to school for another week throughout his six years of primary education.

His academic progress led him to become a pioneer student at the St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary after completing Primary Six, a rare achievement for a student from his region at the time. Although the seminary was established by the late Cardinal Peter Porekuu Dery to train young men for the priesthood, Korbieh stated he did not feel a calling to the clergy. Instead, he pursued a legal career, being called to the Ghana Bar in 1976. His professional life included serving as a Member of Parliament for Jirapa from 1993 to 2001 and eventually as a Justice of the Court of Appeal until his retirement in 2020.