Claim: Ghanaian judges opt for new judicial robes and wigs over colonial ones
Source: Social media
Verdict: False
Researched by Gifty Danso
Viral posts on social media have suggested that Ghanaian judges have opted to do away with colonial wigs and replace them with new judicial robes made from traditional kente material.
The claims show three pictures of unidentified individuals wearing kente robes with kente caps or headgears in a setting believed to be the seat of government, Jubilee House. The Government of Ghana’s coat of arms is also captured in a circular logo in the right corner of the images.
“The Ghanaian Judiciary is taking back control bit by bit: No Wigs. No Colonial Robes. Just Ghana, just African. The era of colonial-era wigs and robes is behind us. Rich African prints, kente cloth, and tradition have taken their rightful place. Justice must be administered in a way that resonates with the community it serves. This transcends fashion; it’s a declaration of our heritage. Our institutions must now reflect the true character of our nation,” read the caption on an X post with the images.
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The post by this X account has garnered over 304,500 views, 4,100 likes, 984 reposts, and 29 comments. On Facebook, a similar post from an account named the “Zambian Post” had garnered 1,900 likes, 75 shares and over 241 comments.
Similar posts have been shared across platforms (here, here, and here).
Have Ghana’s judges and lawyers stopped wearing wigs and colonial robes? This report explains the issues.
Fact-Check
GhanaFact observed that the images were initially posted by some Ghanaian accounts on Facebook on Friday, October 3, 2025 (here, here, and here) with some suggesting the possibility of a switch from the colonial gowns to the kente type.
However, these images were later amplified by accounts outside Ghana (here, here, and here ) with different narratives insinuating that Ghanaian judges and lawyers have stopped wearing colonial robes and wigs.
The GaDa page shared a series of images with similar suggestions of a switch in the appearance of judges. (here and here).
One post was captioned: “On the left: Judges in bold, beautiful African prints, a proud reflection of our identity, culture, and sovereignty. On the right: The legacy of colonial tradition wigs and robes that tell a story not ours.”
Using Google Reverse Image Search, GhanaFact discovered that the image on the right was from the recent swearing-in ceremony of Court of Appeal Judges at the presidency (Jubilee House) on October 2, 2025 (here and here).
GhanaFact also reviewed the video of the ceremony where 21 Justices took their oaths and were handed their instruments of office, there was no point that kente-wearing judges were sighted.
AI-generated Images
We discovered based on visual analysis of the original swearing-in images that the three images used in the viral posts were all AI-generated.
GhanaFact arrived at this conclusion on three grounds:
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
- For all three kente-themed images, the logo of the Presidency of the Republic of Ghana had unintelligible text as compared to the originals, a major shortcoming of AI-generated images.
- With respect to Image 3, the AI-generated image, had blurred faces of the judges, it also merged two sets of judges (front and back row) into one row.
- In the same Image 3, whiles the original image showed people sitting in vertical line to the oath-taking judges, the AI-generated image had arranged them in horizontal rows.
On the likelihood of the images being AI-generated, GhanaFact noted that one of the accounts that shared the posts admitted to it being AI-generated (here).
There is also no record of a new judicial directive on dress codes for judges and magistrates, which oftentimes originates from the Office of the Chief Justice.
Verdict
Therefore, the claim that Ghanaian judges have stopped using colonial robes and wigs is false, and the images from the viral posts are also AI-generated.
