Ghana 2026
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Senior manager, legal affairs | MTN GlobalConnect Solutions Ltd (Bayobab)
Global director compliance, labour & employment and incidence management | Mastercard Foundation
General counsel and Head of corporate services | OceanLift Subsea Ghana LTD
Group head, legal and recovery departments and Company secretary | OmniBSIC Bank
Senior legal counsel and Company secretary | Unilever Ghana PLC
Head of the legal department and General counsel | Agricultural Development Bank PLC (ADB PLC)
Group head of legal and compliance and Group company secretary | PETRA
Manager, legal | Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)
Legal and human resources manager and Company secretary | MISA Energy Ghana Ltd
Head of legal and compliance and Company Secretary | Hollard Life Assurance Ghana LTD
Head of legal and compliance and Company secretary | Amenfiman Rural Bank Plc
Director and head, legal and enforcement department | Securities & Exchange Commission, Ghana
Group head, legal and compliance and Company secretary | Enterprise Group PLC
Head of legal and compliance and Company secretary | SUNU Assurances Ghana LTD
Executive: governance, risk and compliance | Sanlam Allianz Life Insurance Ghana LTD
Legal and company secretariat | Ghana Airports Company Limited
Group head, legal and Company secretary | KGL Group of Companies LTD (KGL Group)
Senior corporate lawyer | VAAL Real Estate Ltd.Â
Director, legal division | Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC)
Head of legal and compliance and Company secretary | Vivo Energy Ghana PLC
Legal and compliance manager | Genser Energy Ghana Limited
Special aide to the governor and advisor - corporate governance and stakeholder management | Bank of Ghana
Legal affairs manager | Eni Ghana Exploration & Production Ltd
Company secretary and Deputy head, legal | Star Assurance Group Limited Company
Legal counsel and Company secretary | Standard Chartered Bank Ghana PLC
Director, legal and corporate affairs | Cenpower Generation Ltd
Divisional head, general internal services and Company secretary | Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Ltd
CEO and Group head, legal and compliance | Regulus Investments & Financial Services Ghana Limited
Executive head, legal and Company secretariat | Bank of Africa - Groupe Bank of Africa
Senior manager, commercial legal and Company secretary | MTN Ghana
Country lead, legal and corporate affairs | Anheuser-Busch InBev
Chief risk, legal and compliance officer | Prudential Life Insurance Ghana
Head of legal and compliance and Board secretary | Imperial General Assurance
I am honoured to introduce Legal 500’s GC Powerlist: Ghana 2026, in recognition of leading in-house counsel across the country. Legal 500 is delighted to celebrate such an impressive co-hort of lawyers and mark their achievements, providing a platform to recognise the invaluable role that in-house counsel play in today’s legal and business landscape.
It is a role that has developed and shifted significantly in recent years, as geopolitical, technological and economic trends continue to fluctuate: ‘modern in‑house counsel have to navigate rapidly evolving and unpredictable environments’, says Afua Oduro Asante, Global director: compliance, labour and employment law and incidence management at Mastercard Foundation. This development positions legal teams as more than purely gatekeepers within their organisations, but rather as a key cog in business operations.
The modern in-house counsel must continue to add to their skill set, in line with this evolution. Adaptability and agility, therefore, are essential attributes for today’s in-house counsel. Eugene Gilbert Amponsah, Head of legal at CalBank PLC, argues that agility is ‘perhaps the most defining attribute that the modern in-house counsel must develop and demonstrate’. Abena Fordjour Acquah, Senior manager, legal affairs at MTN GlobalConnect Solutions Ltd (Bayobab), agrees, pointing out that ‘it’s important to be agile and quick to adapt because laws, technology, and business priorities change fast.’
And awareness of business objectives has become another integral part of the in-house role. Legal teams must be agile enough to provide advice that is both legally and commercially sound. In-house lawyers are increasingly relied upon to advise the organisation in a way that drives growth and aligns with and enables business strategy.
‘Ultimately, a modern in-house counsel sees themselves as a strategic partner, combining legal expertise, commercial insight, and practical problem-solving to help the business grow while remaining compliant and responsible’, Naa Shiokor Boi-Bi-Boi, Head of legal and compliance and Company secretary at Vivo Energy Ghana PLC reminds us.
Isabel Caine
The recent news that elite US firm Sullivan & Cromwell had apologised to a judge over AI hallucinations in a court filing prompted a collective wince from the legal profession.
But while some lawyers remain wary of AI, others are striking a more open-minded note, and at the LexisNexis AI Forum hosted this Wednesday (20 May) by Legal 500 and Legal Business, panelists argued that the risks are far outweighed by the opportunities.
Barbara Zapisetskaya, principal technology counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, made the case that hallucinations and other potential pitfalls can be overcome with a shift in mindset.
‘What makes a difference,’ she said, ‘is empowering your lawyers to take responsibility for AI output – helping them become active AI operators, not just passive AI users. You have agency to decide whether you agree with the output or not.’
Zapisetskaya was among a line-up of leading in-house figures speaking on two panels, which covered everything from practical steps for AI implementation to the key decisions GCs need to be making in the coming months.
Financial Times general counsel Dan Guilford began by stressing the importance of building the right culture for AI adoption. In addition to proactively upskilling himself, Guilford talked about how he had implemented a voluntary weekly ‘show and tell’ meeting for team members to share successful use cases – or an exercise that became a gratifying measure of progress.
Other panelists discussed how increased in-house productivity is altering the dynamic with their external counsel.
While some see the use of AI by law firms as a precursor for reduced fees, Russell Davies, head of global operations for legal and compliance at Dentsu, said that faster results – however they are delivered – are something to be valued.
GSK assistant general counsel Anthony Kenny agreed, saying that while there was an expectation that external counsel would be utilising AI, the focus should be on the value of the output, rather than an overemphasis on identifying AI use as a justification to reduce fees.
Speaking on the second panel, MUFG EMEA general counsel James Morgan stressed the critical importance of education, noting that educating the C-suite on the advantages and risks of AI is just as important as enabling large in-house teams to use these tools.
Shanthini Satyendra, vice-chair of the AI Committee, Society for Computers & Law, CEO and founder of Manisain, offered a reminder of the importance of making the connection between tasks and the purpose behind them, extolling the virtues of identifying use cases for AI that can solve a meaningful problem.
Zapisetskaya concurred, adding that one of the most important tasks for GCs across the next six to twelve months is to create AI playbooks and templates, noting that ‘it is easy for lawyers to see problems – much harder for lawyers to see opportunities.’
There was also broad agreement among panellists that GCs should focus on upskilling their junior lawyers on AI, rather than – as some may expect – cutting back their workforce. As Satyendra summarised: ‘Some people are replacing human capital with AI without thinking about what’s required to make AI work. Retain your people and train them up.’
The panels were moderated by Emma Millington, head of the UK Lexis+ Finance Group, and LexisNexis director of segment management Stuart Greenhill.
