Career Biography

Yvonne Fiadjoe served as the first Vice President, General Counsel, of the Development Bank Ghana, a financial institution with over $800 million in capitalisation. Ms. Fiadjoe has over 20 years of extensive experience in international law and development, having dedicated her entire career to this field. She specialises in managing legal operations for donor-funded organisations. Previously, she was General Counsel at the Millennium Development Authority, where she was responsible for the legal aspects of the $498 million Ghana Power Compact funded by the U.S. Government.

Ms. Fiadjoe has held roles at prominent international financial institutions, including the World Bank in Washington D.C and the African Development Bank in Tunisia, where she worked on transactions across four continents, navigating complex legal and operational challenges.

Ms. Fiadjoe is currently the only non-American Council member on the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law’s Council.

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

I have been privileged to have had numerous unique experiences in my over two-decade career: from drafting the Sanctions Procedures at the African Development Bank after consultations with the Asian Development Bank in Manila to addressing the legal issues pertaining to relocating the Bank from Tunisia to Abidjan, its headquarters.

One of my most unique and personally meaningful experiences was working on the Blantyre-Zomba Road Project, a vital road corridor in Malawi. As the country lawyer for Malawi, this was a seemingly straightforward road project but one that had tremendous economic impact for the community and the country. I recall that one of the officials in the delegation became emotional, sharing how significant that corridor was to them—they had walked that road since childhood, and after many decades they could now drive on it and witness the economic impact of the road as it has changed the lives of many. This experience reinforced for me that behind every legal document and transaction are real people whose lives are profoundly affected by our work. It

reminded me about why development matters and why maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and excellence in our work is so crucial.

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

I believe that the modern in-house counsel must be first and foremost ethical and always maintain their integrity. Within this new age of fast money and fast opportunities, I believe that integrity is what distinguishes a good lawyer within the profession. Integrity is directly linked to credibility, and a lawyer should be credible. Values such as accountability, and transparency are key to navigating complex legal challenges while maintaining client trust.

In addition, Counsel must be able to provide sound legal advice that is both legally rigorous and commercially practical.

Furthermore, Counsel must be conversant with Artificial Intelligence and its impact on our work, our governance, the potential risks it poses, and how to mitigate those risks. This includes understanding AI applications in legal research, contract review, and compliance monitoring, while also advising on AI governance, data privacy, and ethical considerations.

In sum, the modern in-house counsel is a bastion of institutional integrity, who delivers sound legal advice and is flexible in their approach by leveraging modern-day tools using Artificial Intelligence to ensure the best outcome for their clients. They must be strategic business partners who understand that legal excellence serves the broader organisational mission.