{{Short description|Ghanaian lawyer and mining executive}} {{Infobox person | name = Michael Edem Akafia | image = | caption = | birth_name = Michael Edem Akafia | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | education = | alma_mater = Queen Mary University of London and University of Ghana Business School | occupation = Lawyer, Mining Executive | years_active = 2003 - present | employer = | known_for = | title = | boards = Enterprise Trustees Ltd's Tier 2 Pension Fund, Council and Executive Committee of the Ghana Chamber of Mines | spouse = | children = | relatives = }} '''Michael Edem Akafia''' is a Ghanaian lawyer, tax practitioner and mining executive. He is currently the Vice President for External Affairs at Gold Fields and President of Ghana Chamber of Mines. He previously served as the Vice President for Legal Affairs at the West African operations of Gold Fields Ltd.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=27 May 2025 |title=Michael Akafia appointed new President of Chamber of Mines - MyJoyOnline |url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/michael-akafia-appointed-new-president-of-chamber-of-mines/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=My Joy Online |language=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 May 2025 |title=WAMPEX 2025: Michael Akafia rallies industry for deeper local content and value retention |url=https://ghextractives.com/wampex-2025-michael-akafia-rallies-industry-for-deeper-local-content-and-value-retention1/ |access-date=13 July 2025 |website=Gh Extractives |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Etefe |first=Juliet |date=13 June 2025 |title=Chamber of Mines project strong growth in 2025 |url=https://thebftonline.com/2025/06/13/chamber-of-mines-project-strong-growth-in-2025/ |location=Accra, Ghana|access-date=23 July 2025 |newspaper=Business and Financial Times|language=}}</ref>
== Education == Akafia studied at the University of Cape Coast, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Economics and Geography. He later obtained a post-first-degree Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Ghana School of Law and a Qualifying Certificate in Law from the Ghana School of Law. He also holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Queen Mary University of London and an MBA in Finance from the University of Ghana Business School.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Awal |first=Mohammed |date=2024-05-27 |title=Michael Akafia appointed new President of Ghana Chamber of Mines |url=https://thebftonline.com/2024/05/27/michael-akafia-appointed-new-president-of-ghana-chamber-of-mines/ |location=Accra, Ghana|access-date=2024-11-20 |newspaper=Business and Financial Times|language=en-GB}}</ref> He has also completed courses in Environmental Law at the University of Pretoria and studied International Commercial Litigation at University College London (Summer School).<ref name=":0" />
He was admitted as a tax practitioner by the Chartered Institute of Taxation in 2016 and as an insolvency advisor/practitioner by the Chartered Institute of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors in 2023.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-28 |title=Ghana Chamber of Mines Appoints Michael Akafia as its New President - Instinctbusiness |url=https://instinctbusinessmag.com/ghana-chamber-of-mines-appoints-michael-akafia-as-its-new-president/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |language=en-US}}</ref> He is also licensed by the National Pensions Regulatory Authority as a trustee<ref>{{Cite web |title=LIST OF REGISTERED EMPLOYERS SPONSORED PROVIDENT FUND SCHEMES |url=https://www.npra.gov.gh/assets/documents/Individual-Trustees_ESS_Tier-3-v2.pdf}}</ref>
== Career == Akafia began his career as a legal/research assistant at Lawfields Consulting and continued as an Associate at Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah law firm. He then joined SIC Financial Services Ltd as Head of Legal and subsequently became a member of the Interim Management Committee.<ref name=":0" />
He joined Gold Fields in 2010 and became vice president for Legal and Compliance in 2015 after previously serving as the Legal Manager.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our leadership {{!}} About Us {{!}} Gold Fields Ghana |url=https://www.goldfields-ghana.com/our-leadership.php |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=Goldfields Ghana}}</ref> He assumed the role of vice president for external affairs<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-04-02 |title=Goldfields invests $104 million in host communities |url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/business/business-news/goldfields-invests-104-million-in-host-communities.html |location=Accra, Ghana|access-date=2025-07-23 |newspaper=Daily Graphic|language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Agency |first=Ecofin |title=Ghana's Small-Scale Gold Output Rises 70% in 2024 |url=https://www.ecofinagency.com/news-industry/0206-47097-ghana-s-small-scale-gold-output-rises-70-in-2024 |access-date=2025-07-23 |website=Ecofin Agency |language=en-gb}}</ref> He co-founded Landmark Legal, a law firm in Ghana and has served as an arbitrator at the Vis International Commercial Law Competition, Vienna and Hong Kong.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2022-02-07 |title=Michael Edem Akafia » Landmark Trustees |url=https://landmarktrustees.com/michael-edem-akafia/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2010, he was licensed by Ghana's Securities Exchange Commission as an investment advisor’s representative.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-27 |title=Michael Akafia Appointed New President Of The Ghana Chamber Of Mines |url=https://ghananewsonline.com.gh/michael-akafia-appointed-new-president-of-the-ghana-chamber-of-mines/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=Ghana News Online |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=8 May 2023 |title=Chamber Executives - Ghana Chamber |url=https://ghanachamberofmines.org/about-us/chamber-executives/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=16 December 2024 |website=Ghana Chamber of Mines |language=}}</ref>
Akafia represented the Ghana School of Law at the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Competition in Washington DC and subsequently served as a judge at the international rounds and as Ghana national co-administrator.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guide |first=Daily |date=2008-02-18 |title=Lawyers Honour Akufo-Addo |url=https://www.modernghana.com/amp/news/157840/lawyers-honour-akufo-addo.html |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=Modern Ghana |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2004 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition |url=https://www.ilsa.org/Jessup/Jessup05/2005PhilipCJessupIntlLMoo.2-17.pdf }}</ref> He was also a part-time lecturer in Business Law and Jurisprudence at Zenith University College.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=28 May 2024 |title=Ghana Chamber of Mines appoints Michael Akafia as President |url=https://gna.org.gh/2024/05/ghana-chamber-of-mines-appoints-michael-akafia-as-president/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=Ghana News Agency |language=}}</ref>
=== President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines === Akafia was elected as the president of the Ghana Chamber of Mines in June 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-06-22 |title=Mining companies raise issues over unfavourable tax regime |url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/business/business-news/mining-companies-raise-issues-over-unfavourable-tax-regime-2.html |location=Accra, Ghana|access-date=2025-07-23 |newspaper=Daily Graphic|language=en-gb}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
At the Chamber's 97th Annual General Meeting in 2025, he emphasised the sector's growing contribution to the national economy. He noted that the industry contributed approximately GH₵17.7 billion in fiscal revenues in 2024, representing a 51.2% increase over the previous year. Gold production was also projected to reach between 4.4 million and 5.1 million ounces in 2025, reinforcing the sector's role as a leading source of foreign exchange for the country.<ref name="BFT2025">{{Cite news |date=4 June 2025 |title=Gold output projected to hit 5.1m ounces in 2025 – Chamber of Mines |url=https://thebftonline.com/2025/06/04/gold-output-projected-to-hit-5-1m-ounces-in-2025-chamber-of-mines/ |location=Accra, Ghana|access-date=24 July 2025 |newspaper=Business and Financial Times}}</ref>
Akafia has also advocated for stronger local content policies, greater investment in value addition and processing, and improved skills development for Ghanaian workers in the mining value chain. Speaking at the Mining on Top Africa (MOTA) 2025 conference in Paris, he highlighted the importance of building value-adding capacities within Ghana's mining industry.<ref name="VDMA2025">{{cite web |date=2 June 2025 |title=MOTA 2025: Chamber of Mines President Calls for Value Addition |url=https://www.vdma.org/documents/d/group-34568/mota-pr-02-06-2025 |access-date=24 July 2025 |website=VDMA}}</ref>
In addressing challenges within the sector, Akafia has called for regulatory clarity, particularly regarding small-scale mining and the establishment of the Ghana Gold Board. He has also reiterated the Chamber's commitment to combatting illegal mining (galamsey) and promoting responsible and environmentally sustainable practices.<ref name="ChamberRelease">{{cite web |date=April 2025 |title=Press Release: CEO Transition at Chamber of Mines |url=https://ghanachamberofmines.org/storage/2025/04/Press-Release-CEO-Transition-at-Chamber-of-Mines.pdf |access-date=24 July 2025 |website=Ghana Chamber of Mines}}</ref>
== Honors, awards and recognitions == Michael was recognized in the Legal 500 GC Powerlist: Africa in both 2015 and 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Legal 500 Michael Akafia 2015 |url=https://www.legal500.com/gc-powerlist/africa-2015/michael-akafia/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lega 500 Michael Akafia 2017 |url=https://www.legal500.com/gc-powerlist/africa-2017/michael-akafia-2/}}</ref> He was awarded a Unilever Scholarship tenable at St. Augustine's College and an NIIT Scholarship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFSIC - Investing in Africa |url=https://www.afsic.net/business-leader/michael-edem-akafia-2021-speaker/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=AFSIC 2025 - Investing in Africa |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":1" />
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akafia, Michael Edem}} Category:Living people Category:Ghanaian mining engineers Category:Alumni of Queen Mary University of London Category:University of Pretoria alumni Category:Ghanaian business executives Category:St. Augustine's College (Cape Coast) alumni Category:21st-century Ghanaian lawyers Category:Ghana School of Law alumni Category:University of Ghana alumni Category:Ghanaian lawyers Category:1976 births