Yorm Ama Abledu is an experienced international energy lawyer and legal academic based in Accra, Ghana. Yorm is highly respected for her remarkable achievements and contributions to the legal profession generally and energy sector in Ghana, and is a Senior International Attorney at Centurion Law Group, specializing in energy and tax law practice.

She advises national and international oil companies, project developers and financiers in the oil and gas sector in Ghana.

To this end, her practice involves advising on various categories of project contracts negotiated between international energy companies, governments, and local entities, and has expertise in project management and legal entity management within the oil, gas, and power sectors in Africa.

She also has extensive experience in advising energy companies on regulatory and compliance matters and engages with regulatory authorities and government agencies regarding specific energy projects on a regular basis.

Yorm also serves as an arbitrator, helping resolve disputes in the energy sector. Her advisory services encompass a wide range of areas, including tax policies, legislations, international tax matters, and transfer pricing considerations, particularly within the upstream, downstream, and mid-stream. Specific examples of Yorm’s notable accomplishments in the energy sector include advising on significant transactions, such as Ghana’s Energy Sector Recovery Program, involving engagements with numerous independent power producers and gas suppliers.

She has reviewed several Power Purchase Agreements between renewable energy and thermal energy plants in Ghana. Yorm regularly makes thought leadership contributions to the energy sector by participating in panels and discussions on crucial topics like project finance, infrastructure, climate financing and the financing of energy projects, which have helped shape policy formulation.

Her impressive credentials include a prestigious postgraduate degree in oil and gas law from the University of Aberdeen, where she received the Ede & Ravenscroft 2014 Prize for Academic Excellence. She is certified in human rights and oil and gas law from Fordham University.

Yorm is also certified by the Oil & Gas Academy of Scotland as an Oil & Gas Contract negotiator. Yorm is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion of women in the energy sector. As President of the African Women in Energy Development Initiative (AWEDI), she actively works towards empowering and representing female professionals in the industry. Furthermore, she is a Harvardcertified negotiator with expertise spanning various sectors, including Project Finance, Energy, Infrastructure Development, Tax, and Real Estate.

She serves as an esteemed energy law lecturer at UPSA Law School and is a published academic researcher in energy law in African and international peer reviewed journals. In recognition of her exceptional contributions to the legal profession and her mentorship of the next generation of legal minds, Yorm received the prestigious 2022 LexisNexis International Bar Association (IBA) Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.

Her commitment to transparency and accountability in the management of Ghana’s oil revenue makes her a worthy representative of the Ghana Bar Association on the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC). Yorm is hopeful that her experience and resolve to promote transparency and accountability will greatly influence her work with PIAC.