While African women are making waves in the political front especially leading the global numbers of women in parliaments across the world, their sisters in the corporate world have not been that pushy with men still far outnumbering women within the continent’s corporate ladder. However, there is a flicker of hope, as more women climb the corporate ladder in Africa. One such example is the Ghanaian Kadijah Amoah who was this week appointed as Country Director of Aker Energy Ghana Ltd making her the first Ghanaian women to head an oil company. The appointment, which took effect on February 1, was part of the company’s strategy to strengthen its local presence and management in Ghana. Amoah was also appointed to the Executive Management Team of Aker Energy AS in addition to heading the country office of Aker Energy in Ghana.
A statement from the company through its Vice President Communications and Investor Relations, Håkon Høgetveit, notes that Amoah would also work closely with affiliated companies – AGM Petroleum Ghana Limited (“AGM”) and Aker Ghana Investment Company (“AGIC”) in Ghana. The two companies are with the same majority owner as Aker Energy and hold directorships in both companies. Before joining Aker Energy, she was a Senior Foreign Lawyer at Clifford Chance in Germany, one of the largest law firms in the world.
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She also worked as Head of Investments and Business Development at the Office of the Vice President in Ghana and has further experience from downstream petroleum and consulting through her managing roles at Summit Petroleum Ghana. A trained lawyer, Amoah holds a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, LLB and an M.Sc. in International Business from the University of Ghana. She also has a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Institute of Legal Practice and Development in Kigali, Rwanda, and is awaiting a Post Graduate Diploma in Strategy and Innovation from the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, according to her profile on the Aker Energy website.
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“I am extremely pleased to join Aker Energy at such an important stage of the company’s history. Building on the Aker group’s 180 years’ industrial heritage, Aker Energy will, together with AGM and AGIC, take the lead to develop Ghana’s oil and gas resources and related industries,” Amoah said of her appointment. “It all starts with the Pecan project operated by Aker Energy, but this is just the beginning. AGM’s plans to explore and appraise the SDWT block and AGIC’s plans to pursue development opportunities stand as testaments to Aker’s commitment to industry development in Ghana beyond the upcoming project,” she added.
CEO of Aker Energy AS Svein Jakob Liknes expressed satisfaction with Amoah’s presence saying: “With Kadijah’s experience, I am confident that she will lead with success as we move towards the development phase of the Pecan project offshore Ghana.” Amoah replaced Jan Helge Skogen who had held the role of Country Manager since May 2018. “Since Jan Helge took on the role in 2018, the mandate was to establish a strong foundation for further growth whilst identifying a long-term, Ghanaian successor. As the company enters a new phase, it was natural to effectuate the leadership transition,” Liknes said. Amoah’s pioneering appointment comes as calls are heightening for firms within the oil and gas sector to deliberately design gender policies to boost women’s participation and presence within the industry.
According to the 2018 Global Energy Talent Index (GETI) report, women make up 10% of the global energy workforce in oil and gas, renewables, petrochemical, power, and nuclear sectors after surveying more than 20,000 people across the oil and gas industry. Similarly, a 2018 study on gender representation in the petroleum sector, by energy policy NGO, Ghana Oil and Gas for Inclusive Growth, discovered that there were only three female chairs on 33 boards surveyed, with only five of those boards having more than one woman represented.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry