Twenty years after leaving Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High School (YAGSHS), Dorcas Nyarko Dwommoh-Mensah Esq. has built a distinguished legal career, rising through criminal prosecution, civil and corporate law practice to become Head of the Company Secretariat at MobileMoney Fintech Limited (MTN MoMo).

A member of YAGSHS’ General Arts Class of 2006, Dorcas has translated the leadership, discipline and resilience she developed during her secondary school years into a career spanning legal practice, corporate governance and regulatory compliance.

Her journey reflects the professional growth of a woman whose ambition to pursue justice has evolved into a broader responsibility for strengthening corporate governance at one of Ghana’s prominent financial technology businesses.

From YAGSHS to the Ghana Bar

At YAGSHS, Dorcas belonged to Yaa Dufie House, also known as House 6. She served as a class representative and president of the French Club, taking on leadership responsibilities that helped shape her approach to teamwork, service and decision-making.

For her, the school experience extended beyond academic work. The lessons learned through leadership and the challenges she encountered during those formative years helped lay the foundation for her subsequent professional journey.

After completing secondary school, she gained admission to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where she obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree.

She subsequently proceeded to the Ghana School of Law and was called to the Bar on October 3, 2014, as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana.

Her performance at the Ghana School of Law earned her recognition as the Best Graduating Student in Criminal Procedure and Interpretation of Deeds and Statutes, marking an important milestone in her pursuit of legal excellence.

International exposure and legal experience

Dorcas’ professional development has also included international academic and corporate exposure.

She participated in the ASLA Women’s Leonessa D’Africa Project in Milan, Italy, and pursued further studies at the Università degli Studi di Milano in International Economic Law, International Investment Law, Dispute Settlement and Human Rights.

Her career has since covered criminal prosecution at the Attorney-General’s Department, alongside civil and corporate legal practice. She has also gained corporate experience through internships at Linklaters and Ferrari Pedeferri Boni Studio Legale, both associated with her professional exposure in Italy.

Before joining MobileMoney Fintech Limited, she held positions at Groupe Ideal Limited, Alexander and Partners, and Start Up Lounge Africa.

These experiences have strengthened her expertise in legal drafting and interpretation, corporate governance, legal research, company secretarial practice and regulatory compliance.

A member of the Ghana Bar Association, she brings more than a decade of post-qualification legal experience to her current responsibilities.

Leading corporate governance at MTN MoMo

Dorcas currently serves as Head of the Company Secretariat at MobileMoney Fintech Limited, where she plays a key role in corporate governance and provides a link between the company’s Board and Management.

Her responsibilities include coordinating Board meetings, organising strategy sessions, overseeing governance training and managing the appointment and onboarding of Independent Non-Executive Directors.

She is also involved in the restructuring of the company’s Board and the establishment of its committees in connection with the recent FINCO separation.

Beyond coordinating Board activities, her work includes ensuring that directors and management receive relevant training and that the company’s governance practices remain aligned with applicable laws and internal policies.

She also oversees the annual evaluation of the Board, its committees and individual members, a process intended to assess performance, strengthen accountability and promote effective decision-making.

The company secretariat function is central to corporate governance, supporting the Board in meeting its legal and regulatory obligations while helping ensure that decisions, policies and oversight mechanisms are properly documented and implemented.

For a financial technology business operating in a regulated environment, these responsibilities are particularly important to maintaining sound governance structures and effective board oversight.

A milestone worth celebrating

As YAGSHS’ Class of 2006 marks 20 years since leaving school, Dorcas’ professional journey offers a notable example of how early leadership opportunities can develop into responsibilities at the highest levels of corporate management.

From the classrooms of YAGSHS to the lecture halls of KNUST and the Ghana School of Law, and later to courtrooms and corporate boardrooms, her career has spanned several areas of legal and professional practice.

Her progression into corporate governance also illustrates the range of opportunities available to legal practitioners beyond traditional courtroom advocacy, particularly in company secretarial work, regulatory compliance and board administration.

Two decades after bidding farewell to the school’s blue-and-white uniform, Dorcas Nyarko Dwommoh-Mensah has built a career defined by legal expertise, professional development and corporate leadership.

As her former classmates celebrate their shared history, her story stands as a tribute to the YAGSHS experience and the possibilities that can emerge when ambition is matched with sustained professional growth.