FELIX TETTEH BARRIGAH ESQ.

A legal practitioner, regulatory adviser, and financial services expert with over twenty years of multidisciplinary experience spanning law, banking, compliance, transaction advisory, and cross-border trade within Ghana and the wider West African region.

He is a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana and holds an LLM in Corporate and Commercial Law, with extensive practical expertise in banking law, securities regulation, taxation, AML/CFT, payments systems, corporate governance, and Ghana Free Zones regulation. His professional background uniquely combines legal practice with senior executive leadership, enabling him to provide advice that is both legally robust and commercially pragmatic.

His career has been defined by sustained engagement with highly regulated industries, including banking, fintech, capital markets, and international trade. He has advised boards of directors, senior management teams, regulators, multinational corporations, and development institutions on complex legal, regulatory, and transactional matters.

His practice focuses on advising clients on:

• Corporate & Commercial Law
  Structuring and advising on commercial transactions, shareholder arrangements, corporate governance frameworks, and contractual risk management.
• Banking & Financial Services Law
  Legal advisory to banks, fintechs, and payment service providers, and financial institutions on licensing, regulatory compliance, prudential requirements, and enforcement matters.
• Regulatory Compliance & Governance
  Design, implementation, and review of compliance frameworks, internal controls, board governance structures, and regulatory engagement strategies.
• Anti-Money Laundering (AML/CFT) & Financial Crime
  Advisory on AML/CFT systems, policies, investigations, regulatory reporting, and enforcement response, including board-level guidance and training.
• Securities & Capital Markets Law
  Advisory on SEC regulations, investment products, fund management structures, and compliance obligations for regulated entities.
• Taxation & Regulatory Disputes
  Strategic representation and negotiation in tax and regulatory matters, including engagements with the Ghana Revenue Authority and sector regulators.
• Ghana Free Zones & Investment Advisory
  Advisory on licensing, compliance, incentives, and regulatory obligations under the Ghana Free Zones regime.
• Trade Finance & Cross-Border Transactions
  structuring and documentation of trade finance, payment mechanisms, and regional trade arrangements across ECOWAS and UEMOA jurisdictions.

Over the course of his career, he has:

• Led regulatory and compliance strategies that prevented exposure to a USD 2 million fraud, through effective AML/CFT controls and regulatory oversight.
• Successfully negotiated with revenue authorities to avert a USD 3 million tax liability for a multinational payments and transaction services company.
• Advised regulated entities on banking, securities, and Free Zones laws, enabling clients to avoid sanctions and penalties through proper legal interpretation and regulatory engagement.
• Provided legal and regulatory advisory support to Kasapreko, Dangote, Diamond Cement, and other corporates expanding into multiple West African markets.
• Structured legal and compliance frameworks that facilitated the formalization of approximately USD 250 million in ECOWAS trade, transitioning informal trade into regulated channels.
• Advised on the structuring and financing of a USD 15 million industrial processing facility in Accra, including regulatory, banking, and transactional components.
• Led advisory engagements for the introduction and cross-border operation of a pan-African funds transfer platform, navigating complex regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
• Supported public and private sector clients in the management of large-scale payment and collections platforms, including education and institutional payment systems.

He has held senior leadership and advisory roles within major financial institutions, including service as Managing Director, Compliance Officer, and AML Reporting Officer (AMLRO). In these roles, he:

• Reported directly to Boards of Directors and worked closely with board sub-committees on governance, risk, and compliance matters.
• Engaged extensively with regulators including the Bank of Ghana, Securities and Exchange Commission, Ghana Revenue Authority, and Ghana Free Zones Authority.
• Led responses to regulatory audits, inspections, and enforcement actions.
• Advised on internal investigations, risk assessments, and regulatory remediation programmes.
• Designed and delivered compliance and AML/CFT training for boards, senior management, employees, vendors, and clients.

This depth of regulatory exposure allows him to anticipate regulatory expectations and guide clients through complex compliance landscapes with confidence.

With extensive experience across ECOWAS, UEMOA, and Middle Africa, he regularly advises on:

• Multi-jurisdictional regulatory compliance
• Regional trade documentation and payments structures
• Cross-border investment and expansion strategies
• Harmonization of legal and compliance frameworks across jurisdictions

He is fluent in English and French, enabling effective engagement with regulators, counterparties, and clients across Anglophone and Francophone markets. Below are his educational pursuit.

• LLM, Corporate & Commercial Law – University of Ghana
• Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana
• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
• MSc, International Management – University of Exeter
• BA, French & Linguistics – University of Ghana

Professional Certifications

• Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)
• Certified Compliance Officer – Global Academy of Finance & Management
• Data Protection Supervisor

He is known for delivering strategic, commercially focused legal advice, combining deep regulatory knowledge with a practical understanding of how businesses operate. His approach emphasizes risk mitigation, regulatory alignment, and sustainable growth, making him a trusted adviser to clients operating in complex and highly regulated 

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