President John Mahama has appointed Victoria Emeafa Hardcastle as the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission.
This was contained in a statement by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama who indicated that the appointment demonstrated President Mahama’s commitment to ensuring that the Petroleum Commission effectively carries out its mandate.
He further stated that the appointment is in accordance with Article 195(1) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 11(1) of the Petroleum Commission Act, 2011 (Act 821), is subject to the constitutionally required advice of the Commission’s Board and consultation with the Public Services Commission.
Below is a brief profile of Victoria Emeafa Hardcastle
Victoria Emeafa Hardcastle is an accomplished legal professional with over two decades of experience in corporate, commercial, and energy law. She holds a BA (Hons) in Law and Sociology from the University of Ghana, a Barrister-at-Law qualification, and an LLM in Banking and Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she was a distinguished Chevening Scholar.
Admitted to the Ghana Bar in 1995, Emeafa is a Senior Partner at LithurBrew & Company, where she has been instrumental in representing financial institutions, corporations, and individuals in complex commercial litigation, major transactions, and corporate matters. Her expertise extends to mergers and acquisitions, energy law, and high-value transactions exceeding billions of US dollars.
Emeafa has served on the board of Ghana’s Petroleum Commission and has extensive knowledge of the regulatory frameworks in the oil and gas sector. She has worked closely with the Government of Ghana, regulatory authorities, and development partners on economic development strategies, development assistance, and trade relations.
Beyond private legal practice, Emeafa has held roles such as Deputy Head of the Economic Section and Trade Attaché at the Swiss Embassy, gaining valuable international exposure. She also worked with Hogan Lovells, UK, under the International Lawyers for Africa (ILFA) program. Her career reflects a deep understanding of investment, banking, and finance law. She was a director of the collapsed Royal Bank.
Emeafa is a member of the Ghana Bar Association and has been the exclusive IR Global Advisor for Commercial Litigation in Ghana since 2023. She was recognized with the prestigious F.K.A. Apaloo Prize for Company Law during her time at the Ghana School of Law.
