Francis-Xavier Sosu
The Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu, has shared a deeply personal account of his journey from life on the streets to becoming one of Ghana’s leading human rights lawyers and legislators, calling on religious leaders to see faith as a call to action in defence of humanity and the planet.
He was speaking as Guest Speaker at the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious – Ghana (CMSR-Gh), held under the theme: “Consecrated Life for Human Rights Protection and Ecological Justice (Hope Does Not Disappoint – Romans 5:5).”
“Human rights and ecological justice are deeply connected,” Sosu told the gathering. “Protecting our environment is not just stewardship of nature — it is an act of love and respect for humanity itself.”
Reflecting on his life story, Sosu revealed that despite being active in the Catholic Church as a youth — serving as President of the Young Apostles at St. Paul’s Parish, a choir member, and an Eucharistic Minister — he once lived on the streets, homeless and begging to attend school.
“I was still sleeping in a kiosk on the roadside while serving in the Church,” he recalled. “It was the Church of Christ orphanage that found me and took me in. They sponsored me through school, and later through the Village of Hope Orphanage, I met Elder Don Barnett, who funded my law education.”
His experience of poverty and neglect, he said, became the moral foundation for his lifelong advocacy for justice. After being called to the Bar, Sosu dedicated himself to pro bono work through the Justice for All Programme, representing over 800 inmates across Ghanaian prisons — many of them held for years without trial.
But his activism came at a cost. Following his legal victory for an inmate who had been wrongfully detained for 14 years, Sosu faced a professional suspension by the General Legal Council (GLC) — a period he described as a test of faith. Through prayer and perseverance, his license was restored by a High Court ruling a year and a half later.
As a legislator, Sosu has carried that same conviction into Parliament. Despite serving in a hung Parliament (137–137 split), he successfully introduced and saw the passage of three Private Member’s Bills, including the abolition of the death penalty for ordinary crimes.
He also championed the criminalization of witchcraft accusations and measures to address period poverty by reducing taxes on sanitary pads.
“We are freed to free other people,” Sosu declared. “God’s call is a call to action. My story — from a street child to a lawyer and now a legislator — is proof that faith, when lived out, transforms not only lives but nations.”
The conference, chaired by Catholic and religious leaders, applauded Sosu’s testimony as a compelling example of how spiritual formation can inspire social transformation.
