Career Biography

Caliis Badoo is a lawyer, a Chartered Banker, and a Notary Public admitted to practise in Ghana. He has over twenty-one years’ experience in teaching and practising corporate and business law, with over fifteen years’ experience in securities regulation and enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission of Ghana. His key strengths include strong research and analytical skills, excellent communication and human relations skills, and the ability to work effectively as part of a team, with a strong inclination towards academia.

He has significant experience in cross-border and trade-related matters, having served, and continuing to serve, as a member of the Technical Committee of the West Africa Securities Regulatory Association, which provides oversight on cross-border capital market issues to support the development of the sub-region. The Association has applied to become an appendage of ECOWAS under Article 53 of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty.

He combines effective corporate and business law practice with teaching in the same field and has strong drafting skills, with a particular focus on commercial agreements. He is currently a Director and the Head of the Legal and Enforcement Department of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Ghana. Prior to this role, he worked as an attorney in two law firms in Ghana, representing clients in court and providing professional legal advice on corporate and commercial matters. Throughout his career, he has remained a part-time lecturer.

He has attended numerous training programmes organised by Harvard Law School, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, and the International Organisation of Securities Commissions, among others. He is a member of the International Bar Association Capital Markets Forum and the Securities Law Committee, and also serves as a member of the IOSCO AMERC Working Group on Market Development.

He has held several leadership positions, including Conference Coordinator from January 2015 to December 2016, Officer from January 2017 to December 2018, Conference Coordinator from January 2019 to December 2020, Secretary Treasurer from January 2020 to December 2020, Vice Chair from January 2021 to December 2022, and Chair from January 2023 to December 2024. He is currently an LPD Council member of the International Bar Association, LPD Liaison Officer to the African Forum, and an Advisory Board member of the African Regional Forum, serving from January 2025 to December 2026.

He is currently an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration Faculty of Law, where he teaches the Master of Laws course in the Regulation of Financial Markets. Caliis holds a Bachelor of Laws with Honours, a Barrister at Law qualification, an MBA in Finance, Associate Chartered Institute of Bankers status, and a Master of Laws in Financial Markets and Regulation. He is also a Lecturer and Facilitator for the Legal and Regulatory Framework module of the Ghana Securities and Investment Institute course designed for capital market professionals. He is a Notary Public admitted to practise in Ghana.

In 2025, Caliis was recognised as an exceptional General Counsel in the inaugural Legal 500 GC Powerlist Ghana.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

Yes, I have held the following positions and appointments in the International Bar Association and the African Regional Forum.

I was nominated to serve as a member of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Africa/Middle East Regional Committee (AMERC) Working Group on Market Development in 2023. I was appointed as Conference Coordinator from January 2015 to December 2016, Officer from January 2017 to December 2018, Conference Coordinator from January 2019 to December 2020, Secretary-Treasurer from January 2020 to December 2020, Vice Chair from January 2021 to December 2022, and Chair from January 2023 to December 2024. I have also been appointed as an LPD Council member of the International Bar Association, LPD Liaison Officer to the African Forum, and Advisory Board member of the African Regional Forum from January 2025 to December 2026.

Additionally, I was nominated as a Mediator for the Commercial Court in Ghana in 2018 and continue in that role. I have served as a member of the Technical Committee of the West Africa Securities Regulators Association (WASRA) since 2018 and as a member of Working Group 3 of the Financial Stability Council on crisis preparedness since 2019.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess? 

Open-mindedness and the ability to adapt quickly.

The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications is working to bridge the digital divide, seeing increased digitalisation throughout the country. What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with Ghana’s data protection laws?

The adoption of risk-based supervision and a robust data protection regime.

Given Ghana’s continued push for sustainability, what measures has your company taken to incorporate sustainability practices into its core business operations? How can general counsel contribute to driving such initiatives within the organisation?

We have introduced into our market the Securities Industry (Green Bond) Guidelines 2024 (SEC/GUI/003/2024) and have supervised the introduction of the ESG Disclosure Manual for the Ghana Stock Exchange 2022, which is based on the Global Reporting Initiative Standards.