Spotlight
Mr. Yeboa Amoa - Lawyer and Financial Analyst

Mr. Yeboa Amoa was a Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). With a rich background in Management and Corporate Law Practice, he has catapulted the image of GSE to a level where International Financial Analysts recently for the second time in four years, adjudged it as the best performing stock market in the emerging markets. That is to say, the listed securities on the GSE were the most rewarding for investors in the emerging markets. Mr. Amoa obtained his Ordinary from the Presbyterian Boys' Secondary (Presec) at Odumase krobo and went on to do his Advanced level at Prempeh College. After his A-level's he entered the University of Ghana, Legon and the Ghana Law School, Accra to read Law. He was the best graduating student in the Postgraduate Practical Law Examinations and received the Chief Justice Akuffo-Addo Award.

Immediately after the Law School, Mr. Amoa went into private legal practice, first with the local law firm of Messrs. Lynes Quashie-Idun & Co, and later on with the firm of Messrs. Jimmy Alarah, Yeboa Amoa & Co. He joined the Merchant Bank Ghana Limited where he significantly contributed to the establishment of the first Companies Share Registration Department. He rose to become the Group Company Secretary and Legal Adviser and was also amongst the first Executive Directors of the National Stock Brokers Company Limited (now the Merban Stockbrokers Limited wholly owned by the Merchant Bank Ghana Limited).

A pioneering Director of the Consolidated Discount House, Mr. Amoa was seconded to the Bank of Ghana in 1989 to help the Governor to set up a Stock Exchange in Ghana. A National Committee was set up for this purpose and Mr. Amoa was made a Member/Secretary. The Committee did an excellent job and that resulted in the birth of the Ghana Stock Exchange. Once again Mr. Amoa was one of the GSE's Founding Directors and has been managing the affairs of this private initiative to date, maintaining excellent surveillance to ensure fair and equitable dealings of securities in the emerging capital market. Mr. Amoa who is steeped in a culture of excellence served on the National Committee that streamlined the legal framework of Non Bank Financial Institutions.

According to Mr. Amoa the Ghana Stock Exchange is strengthening links with securities markets, particularly in Africa, to promote funds flow between this market and the various sources of financial capital. To this end, the GSE has signed memoranda of undertaking respectively with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the Nigeria Stock Exchange with different agenda. That with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange emphasizes on technical cooperation and assistance, whereas that with the Nigeria Stock Exchange placed emphasis on closer cooperation, harmonization of rules of operation and eventual integration. Mr. Amoa noted that under the ECOWAS Protocol, free movement of goods and persons have been established, and that, the GSE wishes to help in the promotion of free movement of capital.

Under his leadership, the GSE was always modernizing, upgrading and doing new things to improve on the quality of their professional skills and curriculum content, such as teaching aids, course books etc. with the view of enhancing professional competence of various personnel on the market such as Administrators, Journalists etc. The need for automating operations saw the GSE establishing a Management Information Service (MIS) Department. In pursuit of the same objective an Automated Clearing, Settlement and Deposit facility was to be set up in line with the Group of 30 Recommendations. These are specified benchmark principles and standards in the industry that have been endorsed by institutions such as the International Federation of Stock Exchanges and International Organization of Securities Commission.

Mr. Amoa has traveled extensively most often being used as a resource person for many international symposia. He was made a Parvin Fellow at Woodrow School of the Princeton University in 1982, and is currently the Chairman of that University's International Admission/Selection Committee in Ghana.

He is the Deputy Chairman of the African Stock Exchange Association, Member of the University of Ghana Council, Chairman of the University of Ghana Alumni Association and the Chairman of the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni in Ghana. He is also a Board Member of the Akrofi-Christaller Memorial Centre for Mission Research and Applied Theology. The Government of Ghana has recently recognized this Centre as a tertiary educational institution for Postgraduate studies. He is also a Life Member of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International and is involved in the Logos Rhema Foundation for Christian Leadership as a Director and Company Secretary.

In his spare time Mr. Yeboa Amoa enjoys walking and music.

Submitted by: Musuuch, Odadee '99.

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