Joyce Bawah Mogtari is a

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

ian lawyer and politician who served as the Deputy Minister of Transport in

. She is currently the special aide to the former president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama and the flag bearer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2020 Ghanaian elections. She is an experienced mediator and has done this on several occasions, both locally and internationally.

Early life and education

Mogtari attended Wesley Girls' Senior High School for her secondary school education. She proceeded to

Holborn College Kaplan Holborn College was a college of higher education in London, England, specialising in accounting, finance, law and business. It was originally established as Holborn Law College in 1969 to prepare young lawyers from overseas for the Univ ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

where she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree in 1997. She also holds a master's degree in maritime law (L.L.M.) from the

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...

(IMO) and

International Maritime Law Institute The IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) was established in 1988 under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations. Its mission is to train specialists in maritime law. The Institu ...

(IMLI) in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, where she was the recipient of the IMO Legal Committee Chairman's Award for Best Overall Performance in International Transport Law. She also holds a master's degree in conflict resolution and mediation from the

Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre Based in Ghana, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) provides training and research in peacekeeping and peaceoperations. Established in 1998, headed by Maj-Gen. Clayton Yaache, it formally began operations in 2002. ...

- Ghana.

Career

Mogtari was formally called to the bar in 2000 and started her career with the legal firm Sey & Co. Later, she became a consultant for

KPMG KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...

and the Venture Capital Trust Fund. She also served as the Head of the Legal Department and Solicitor Secretary of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority and as the head of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority from 2007 to 2013.

Politics

Mogtari is a member of the National Democratic Congress. She has served on campaign teams and committees within the party over the years, including serving as a member of the 30-member legal team of the party. She was the spokesperson for President John Dramani Mahama's presidential campaign in the 2016 General Elections. After the elections, Mahama appointed her as his special aide and official spokesperson.

Deputy Minister of Transport

In March 2013, Mogtari was appointed by John Dramani Mahama to serve as the Deputy Minister for Transport. She served in that capacity until January 2017. She served as the spokesperson for the John Dramani Mahama 2016 Election campaign.

Professional associations

Mogtari is a member of the Ghana Bar Association and the African Women Lawyers Association. She is also a fellow of the USA-International Visitor Leadership Programme.

Personal life

Mogtari is married and has four children. Joyce is the younger sister of former Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection,

Otiko Afisa Djaba Otiko Afisa Djaba (born 21 January 1962) is a Ghanaian politician. Her previous engagement was the National Women's Organizer for the New Patriotic Party. She was also the former minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection. Early life a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mogtari, Joyce Bawah 1970s births Living people Government ministers of Ghana Women in law enforcement Women government ministers of Ghana National Democratic Congress (Ghana) politicians 21st-century Ghanaian women politicians 21st-century Ghanaian lawyers Ghanaian women lawyers International Maritime Law Institute alumni 21st-century women lawyers