Corporate governance is increasingly becoming a competitive business advantage rather than a regulatory obligation, a message that dominated Ghana’s inaugural Company Secretaries’ Summit as governance professionals called for stronger board leadership, responsible adoption of emerging technologies and greater recognition of the strategic role company secretaries play in organisational performance.
The maiden summit, organised by Mindful Governance under the theme “Governance as Value Creation,” brought together company secretaries, board directors, legal advisers and senior executives from the private sector, public institutions and state-owned enterprises, signalling a growing shift in how governance is viewed within Ghana’s corporate landscape.
For many businesses, governance has traditionally been associated with compliance and regulatory reporting. Speakers at the summit argued that companies with strong governance frameworks are increasingly better positioned to attract investment, manage risk, navigate technological disruption and sustain long-term growth.
Catherine Engmann, Founder and Managing Director of Mindful Governance, said the summit was created to give governance professionals a dedicated platform while strengthening collaboration between company secretaries and boards.
“The company secretary sits between the board, management and stakeholders, and sets the conditions in which the most consequential decisions get made, from what reaches the agenda to when it arrives there,” she said.
“We brought board directors into the room as well, because the relationship between a board and its company secretary does a great deal to determine whether an organisation succeeds or fails.”
Governance Becomes an Investment Issue
Delivering the opening address, the Registrar of Companies, Maame Samma Peprah, said effective corporate governance is increasingly influencing investor confidence and business competitiveness.
She noted that while emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, could improve compliance monitoring and regulatory analysis, sound governance would remain essential to ensuring responsible decision-making.
“Effective corporate governance is a competitive advantage in attracting investment, not merely a legal obligation,” she said.
Her remarks come as investors globally place growing emphasis on governance standards alongside financial performance when assessing companies and institutions.
Technology Reshapes Boardroom Risk
The summit also examined how technological change is creating new governance challenges for boards.
Karl George, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Governance AI, warned organisations about the growing risk posed by employees using unapproved digital tools outside official company systems, describing it as one of the most significant governance risks confronting businesses.
He urged boards and governance professionals to improve their understanding of emerging technologies to strengthen oversight and risk management.
“Boards cannot effectively govern technologies they do not understand,” he said.
Governance Beyond Compliance
Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, Chief Executive Officer of Cyrus Law, challenged organisations to move beyond treating governance as a compliance exercise.
She described governance as the mechanism that enables organisations to make better strategic decisions rather than slowing business activity.
“The greatest value of governance lies in creating environments where the right questions are asked, difficult conversations are encouraged and organisations are able to make decisions that stand the test of time,” she said.
She added that many corporate failures could be traced to boardrooms where critical voices were ignored or absent.
Recognising Governance Excellence
The summit concluded with awards recognising outstanding governance professionals across Ghana’s corporate sector.
Honourees included:
- Company Secretary of the Year (Private Sector): Helen Amponsah Asare (KGL Group of Companies Ltd) and Paulina Akosua Danso (The Royal Senchi)
- Rising Star: Gertrude Assan (Mainstream Reinsurance Limited Company) and Bernice Yaa Sika Afful (First Atlantic Asset Management)
- Board Secretary of the Year (SOE/Public Sector): Trudy Lamptey (Labadi Beach Hotel) and Susan Gbemu (Ghana National Gas Limited Company)
Mindful Governance said the summit and awards programme will become an annual event aimed at strengthening governance standards across Ghana’s corporate sector.
For businesses, the message from the gathering was clear: governance is no longer simply about compliance. Increasingly, it is becoming a strategic asset that shapes investor confidence, board effectiveness and long-term enterprise value.
