Blog Archives

Felicia Nana Dapaah Gyamfi Ashley

Felicia Nana Dapaah Gyamfi Ashley, Esq. is the Technical Advisor, Human Capital & General Administration at the Ministry of Finance. Previously she was the Vice President, Human Capital, and administration at Databank Financial Services Limited.

Akosua Apea Osafo

Akosua Apea Osafo, Esq. is a Partner at JLD & MB and works primarily within the Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Mergers and Acquisitions, Oil and Gas, and Tax practice areas. She was part of the team advising the Government of Ghana on its Eurobond issues in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. She also took a leading role advising a leading international oil and gas company on tax matters concerning its petroleum agreement negotiations with the Government and implications of the Petroleum Revenue Management laws on its business.
She is dual-qualified at the Ghana Bar and as a solicitor of England and Wales with extensive international transactional and legal experience gained in the UK, Japan, and Ghana and across the Russian, Central Asian, and Asian emerging economies. She approaches her transactions with deep industry insight drawn from her in-house corporate counsel role at ING Bank N.V and associate training at a leading global firm, Clifford Chance LLP. Akosua is recognized as a rising star, in Banking & Capital Markets (IFLR1000).
Akosua Apea Osafo holds an LLB (Hons) Business and Finance Law degree from Brunel University, Uxbridge, England. She is a member of the Law Society of England and Wales and is also called to the Ghana Bar.

Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah

Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah is the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority. He brings into the organization vast experience in leadership, management, and banking operations. He started his career in the public service with the Ghana Statistical Service as an Assistant Statistician and later worked in various capacities in banking and management.
Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah is a seasoned international banker with almost thirty years of experience in Research, Corporate Banking, SME/Retail Banking, Strategic Leadership, and Strategic Planning and has worked in different countries in Africa and undertaken short term assignments in several countries.
He started his career as an Assistant Statistician with the Ghana Statistical Service engaged in Economic, Social and Statistical Research before joining Standard Chartered Bank, as a Statistician and Research Officer in 1993. For his exceptional performance in the Bank, he gained rapid promotions over a period of 9 years into various senior positions. These include Financial Business Support Manager with responsibility for managing the budgeting and planning function of the Bank; Head of Credit Services for Standard Chartered Bank West Africa and Head of Operations and Technology for Standard Chartered Bank Ghana where he became a member of the Executive Committee of the Bank. He was appointed Group Head of Operations for Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) based in Togo where he supervised the operations functions over all the countries of the Ecobank Group. He was very instrumental in setting up from scratch the Ecobank Operations and Technology hub in Ghana known as eProcess International. He joined Unibank Ghana Ltd in 2007 where he became the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. He left uniBank in 2011 and joined Bank of Africa Group as Managing Director and CEO of Bank of Africa, Tanzania for seven years until he was appointed as Group Executive for Special Projects, including Mergers and Acquisitions, strategic collaborations, and alliances for the Bank of Africa Group and other international banks. He has served on several boards and has contributed significantly to the development of the Finance Industry

Hon. George Mireku Duker

Hon. George Mireku Duker is an Oil, Gas, and Mining Governance expert with a background in Finance. He had his first degree in Accounting. He has also completed Masters in Oil and Gas Management from the University of Plymouth and has also to his merit Executive Certificate in Oil, Gas and Mining Governance from the University of Oxford. He is very conversant with Land Protection, Land Reclamation, and Environmental Protection concepts.
Hon. George Mireku Duker has held various management positions both in the public and private sectors. He worked as the Programme Director for advocacy groups and the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas in Ghana hosted by ISODEC covering wide issues in Petroleum Management and Mining Governance.
Hon. George Mireku Duker has served on various platforms. He was previously the Chairman of the Governing Board of Minerals Income Investment Fund and also served as the Vice-Chair on Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy during the 7th parliament. He has considerable experience in the workings of government has worked as the Special Assistant under two different Ministers at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and later became the representative of the President of Ghana as the Municipal Chief Executive (Mayor) of Tarkwa during president Kufuor’s tenure of office. He has also provided technical support to the Millennium Development Authority (MIDA) in Ghana and was part of a team responsible for the evaluation of the consultants proposed for the MIDA project. He has considerable experience in Natural Resource Governance and holds various certificates in the fields of Energy and Mining policy, from the International Human Resource Development Corporation (IHRDC).
He is currently the Deputy Minister in Charge of Mines at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

Prof Grace Ofori-Sarpong

Prof Grace Ofori-Sarpong is a Professor of Minerals Engineering, and currently the Dean of School of Postgraduate Studies at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, Ghana. She holds PhD in Energy and Mineral Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA, MSc in Environmental Resources Management and BSc in
Metallurgical Engineering, both from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana. Her previous positions held in UMaT include Acting Pro Vice Chancellor, Dean of Faculty of Mineral Resources Technology, Vice Dean of Planning and Quality Assurance Unit, Head of Petroleum Engineering Department, Head of Environmental and Safety Engineering Department, and Coordinator of University Examinations.

Grace is actively involved in research and consultancy in the areas of precious minerals beneficiation, aqueous processing, mine waste treatment, acid mine drainage issues, and myco-hydrometallurgy, among others, and she has 78 technical publications to her credit. With about 20 years’ experience in lecturing and research in minerals-related issues and community service, Grace has made a lot of strides including receiving an international award from OWSD-Elsevier Foundation for her contribution in science and her positive role in inspiring and mentoring females to reduce the gender gap in STEM.
Grace is the Founder and President of Ladies in Mining and Allied Professions in Ghana (LiMAP-Gh), a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS), and West African Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (WAIMM). She is also a member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration Engineers (SME), International Association of Engineers, Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and Women in Mining, Ghana.

Grace serves as a member on several national boards including the Governing Boards of the Minerals Income Investment Fund, Ghana Chamber of Mines Tertiary Education Fund, and Governing Councils of University of Mines and Technology and Academic City College. In addition, she serves/has served on numerous national and international committees including the Ministerial Committee of Enquiry on Health and Safety in the Mining Industry, the Publication Committee of Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, , the Committee of Independent Reviewers for International PhD Scholarship, and as Associate Editor of Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy. She has also served as organiser, keynote speaker, resource person and moderator for several conferences, workshops and seminars both locally and internationally.

Dr. Maxwell Opoku-Afari

Dr Maxwell Opoku-Afari is currently the First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana. He was appointed to this position on August 7, 2017. Prior to assuming the role of Deputy Governor, Maxwell Opoku-Afari worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from December 2009, rising through the ranks to the level of Deputy Division Chief and Mission Chief. He was the Deputy Division Chief in the Regional Studies Division in the African Department of the IMF where he led and supervised the production of one of the IMF’s flagship publication—the Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, he also served as the Mission Chief for Mauritius, where he led policy discussions on a wide range of issues including the financial sector, macro-financial linkages, fiscal and monetary policies, and growth strategies. He previously worked in the Strategy, Policy and Review Department of the IMF.

While at the IMF, Maxwell Opoku-Afari participated in IMF negotiation missions to several African and Caribbean countries and handled extensive policy discussions on Rwanda, Zambia, Jamaica and Sao Tome and Principe—where he led the program negotiation mission in 2015. He was also a reviewer of country policy documents for a number of developing countries.

Maxwell Opoku-Afari’s work at the IMF also focused on policy design, in particular, on monetary policy modernization and macro-financial linkages. He has co-authored a number of IMF Policy Papers including one on “Modernizing Monetary Policy Frameworks in Low and Developing Countries” and another on “Monetary Policy Conditionality for Countries with Evolving Monetary Policy Regimes”. These two policy papers are currently being used to drive modernization of monetary policy frameworks in a number of low and developing countries. He has extensive publications on monetary policy, inclusive growth, short-term output indicators in low income countries, aid effectiveness, and on capital flows and real exchange rate dynamics.
Prior to joining the IMF in 2009, Maxwell Opoku-Afari worked for 13 years at the Bank of Ghana, rising through the ranks to become the Head of the Special Studies Division in the Research Department between January 2005 and June 2006, and later elevated to the position of the Special Assistant to the Governor of Bank of Ghana from June 2006 until he left the Bank of Ghana in October 2009. He was also a member of the Government of Ghana’s Capital Markets Committee from 2006 to 2008.
He holds a first degree in Economics and Statistics, and an MPhil in Economics, both from the University of Ghana, Legon and also a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.

Kow Abaka Essuman

Kow Abaka Essuman is the Legal Counsel to the President of the Republic of Ghana. He is a lawyer by profession, qualified to practise law in three jurisdictions: England and Wales, New York State, and Ghana. Before public service, Kow practised law in Ghana’s top and largest law firm, Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa and Ankomah. He rose to Senior Associate in the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution practice group within four years of joining the firm. He represented several top corporate clients during this period, including mining, telecommunications, real estate companies, and a billion-dollar hedge fund in New York in a dispute against Argentina. In addition to practising law, Kow worked with Web Legal Education and New York Bar Company to prepare candidates for the New York Bar Exam. He also lectured the law of Trusts on the University of London, Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree offered by Zenith University College in Accra. He was a part-time lecturer at the Ghana School of Law, tutoring students in Advocacy and Professional Ethics. Kow is a former Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in England. Since 2017, he has served as a Conciliator on the Panel of Conciliators for the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes of the World Bank. Kow is a Founding Board Member of the State Interests and Governance Authority and the Minerals Income Investment Fund.

In 2013, Kow was selected as a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum. In June 2015, he was chosen as one of 80 Africans to represent the Global Shapers Community at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, South Africa. In May 2015, Kow was featured and described as “Internationally Known and Locally Accepted” in the Future of Ghana’s 30 Under 30 Maiden Edition. In June 2015, he was featured on the front page of the widely read Business and Financial Times under a story titled “Smart Suits, Fine Legal Brains.” He has appeared on various radio and television shows, including Speak Up, an anti-corruption advocacy show on ETV Ghana, and Just The Law. This show educates the public about the law on Viasat One television. In 2017, Kow was voted the Most Influential Young Ghanaian and was nominated as part of the Class of 2018, 100 Most Influential Young Persons of African Descent under the auspices of the United Nation’s International Decade for People of African Descent. In December 2019, he was presented with an Honorary Award by the President of Ghana and Chief Patron of the Head of State Award Scheme for his contributions and support towards the growth and development of young people in Ghana through the Award Scheme.

Kow was educated at the University of Westminster and BPP Law School, both in London in the United Kingdom and Cornell University in New York, where he obtained a Masters-in-Law degree (LL.M.) with honors in International Mergers and Acquisitions and Financial Institutions. Kow holds an Executive Education Certificate in Oil, Gas and Mining Governance from the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. He also has an Executive Education Certification in Negotiation and Leadership from Harvard Law School. In 2020, he won the Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Westminster. Kow is a Christian and an ardent advocate for Jesus Christ. Even with his busy schedule, Kow finds the time to spread the Gospel through his writings on social media, on his blog, in the pulpit and at Christian gatherings. He is married to Lady-Ann, and they have two children, Papa Kwesi and Ewuradwoa.

Professor Douglas Boateng

(MSc, EngD, FCILT, FSOE, FIPlantE, FCMI, FIC, FInst.D, FIOM, FCIPS, FIoD, CDir)*
Chairman of the Board
Professor Douglas Boateng(rtd) is an international certified chartered director and Africa’s first-ever appointed Professor Extraordinaire(rtd) for Supply, Value Chain Management, and Industrialisation. He has extensive multi-sectoral, C-suite, and CEO expertise in Corporate Governance, Director Development, Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, and Business Strategy. His international industrial experience spans several industries, including Pharma-chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, IT and e-commerce, Healthcare, Agriculture, Food and Beverages, Biotechnology, Education and Training, Exploration and Mining, Financial Services, Government, and the Public Sector. Revenues of past and present private and public sector organisations that have directly and indirectly benefited from his expertise range from $1 million USD to $40 BILLION USD. He was previously the Chairman of the Public Procurement Authority(PPA).

He is the recipient of several prestigious global Life Time Achiever Honors, including the first-ever functional specific Lifetime Achiever Award from Hewlett Packard (HP) for his contribution to making policymakers, public and private sector leaders further appreciate the link between Supply Chain Management, Industrialisation, and the UN SDGs. Other lifetime achiever awards include Two(2) procurement-related awards from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply(CIPS), Two(2) Building Nations awards from CEO Titans; A Supply Chain Management and Industrialisation mark of distinction from the Chartered Institute of Supply Chain Management and the Association of Ghana industries; and an induction into the Institute of Directors(SA) Wall of Fame. He has authored several thought-leading industry and academia approved books and articles.

Professor Boateng earned his Doctor of Engineering(Warwick) in 1998. He also holds an MSc Manufacturing logistics (UCE-UK), Postgraduate Diploma in Transport Planning and Management(Cranfield-UK), Postgraduate Diploma in Company Direction, Institute of Directors (IOD-UK). He has been a member of the IOD-UK for over 28 years. Past and present elected professional FELLOWSHIPS* include Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport(UK), Chartered Management Institute(UK), (CIPS), Institute of Directors(UK), Institute of Business Consulting(UK), Institute of Operations Management(UK), Institute of Directors(SA), Institute of Plant Engineers(UK), Society of Operations Engineers(UK).