Prof. Thomas Kojo Stephens

Thomas Kojo Stephens is an Associate Professor at the University of Ghana School of Law, Head of the Private Law Department and Coordinator of the Energy Programme (Masters). He serves as Chairman of the University’s Disciplinary Board for Junior Members. He is also a Senior Partner at Stobe Law, where he heads the Energy Practice.

He has published extensively on the upstream petroleum industry in international journals of high repute, edited and written award-winning books and articles, serves as jurisdictional author as well as reviewer for a number of international publications, and editor of some annual reports in the energy industry. He serves as an external assessor to institutions of higher learning for promotion of faculty members as well as academic reviewer. He has received several awards for excellence with the most recent being “Overall Best Researcher” (College of Humanities, 2024), “Best Researcher-Mid Career” (College of Humanities, 2022), Best Lecturer Award, University of Ghana School of Law (2024, 2022), Meritorious Award in 2023 from Ghana’s Public Interest and Accountability Committee “in recognition of dedicated service to the Republic of Ghana as Vice-Chairman,” among others.

He is an advisory board member of the International Energy Law Advisory Group and a Specialist Trainer at the International Energy Law Training and Research Centre (IELTRC). He served from 2015-2020, on Ghana’s Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) - a statutory body with oversight over the use of petroleum revenue by the government - ending his tenure as Vice-Chairman. He is a Notary Public of the Republic of Ghana, member of the Ghana Bar Association as well as the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN) and is certified by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in respect of Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-Operation (OPRCC) Level 3 (Highest Level).

He attended Bryant University in Rhode Island, U.SA., where he was awarded the New Century Award, obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Philosophy (Highest Honours) from Emory University, Atlanta, United States (Gates Scholar), graduating Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa. He obtained his LLB from the University of Ghana, his QCL from Ghana School of Law, and his LLM from Cornell University, New York, United States. He attended the University of Aberdeen (Commonwealth Scholar) and obtained a PhD in Petroleum Law, Policy and Regulation.

CREDENTIALS

•    PhD (Petroleum Law, Policy and Regulation) - University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
•    LLM- Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
•    QCL/BL – Ghana School of Law, Accra, Ghana
•    LLB – University of Ghana School of Law, Accra, Ghana
•    BA (Political Science and Philosophy (Highest Honours, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) – Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA  

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

•    Petroleum Law (Policy, Regulation, Contracts, Revenue Management, Local Content, Transactional Arrangements)
•    Natural Resources Law
•    Conflict of Laws/Private International Law
•    Equity & Succession
•    Transactional Law
•    Research Methodology and Proposal Writing
 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Acheampong T and Stephens TK (eds), Petroleum Resource Management in Africa: Lessons from Ghana (McMillan, 2021) Forthcoming
• Stephens TK and Dzikunu S, “Examining Ghana’s New Exploration and Production Act and other Legislative Developments” (ed.) in Acheampong T and Stephens T (eds), Petroleum Resource Management in Africa: Lessons from Ghana (McMillan, 2021) Forthcoming
• Stephens TK and Acheampong T, “A Legal and Political Economy Analysis of Contracting Decisions and Outcomes in Ghana’s Upstream Oil and Gas Industry” Selected from the Committee of Experts on Natural Resources to Prepare and Present Report to Star Ghana Foundation and Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment (Columbia University), 2021  
• Stephens TK, “Start, Proceed, Recalibrate: The Evolution and Evolvement of Ghana’s National Petroleum Corporation” Oil, Gas and Energy Law (OGEL) 2021
• Stephens TK, “New Beginnings: The Evolution of the Regulatory Body of Ghana’s Upstream Petroleum Industry” Oil, Gas and Energy Law (OGEL) 2021
• Pereira EG, Pappa M, Stephens TK, Eiamchamroonlarp P, Elias-Roberts A, Lopes A, “Stabilization Provisions: Do They Provide the Desired Protections?” Oil, Gas and Energy Quarterly, 2021.
• Stephens TK “Ghana” in Pereira E, Wawryk A, Trischmaann H, Banet C, and Hall K (eds), “The Regulation of Decommissioning, Abandonment and Reuse Initiatives in the Oil and Gas Industry: From Obligation to Opportunities” (Wolters Kluwer 2020) 351-368
• Stephens T, “Of Stabilization Clauses, Legal Gymnastics, Variations and Everything In Between: Amendments to the Petroleum Agreement in Respect of Deepwater Tano/Cape Three Points Contract Area (Offshore Ghana)” UGLJ 2020; A version of this Article is published in the 2019 Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) Industry Report.
• Dowuona-Hammond C and Stephens TK, “From Total Immunization to an Economic Balancing Act: The Trajectory of Stabilization Clauses in Ghana’s Petroleum Agreements” (2019) OGEL (2) pp 1-19
• Stephens TK, “Framework for Petroleum Revenue Management in Ghana: Current Problems and Challenges” (2019) Vol 37 No 1 Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law, pp 119-143
• Stephens TK and Acheampong T, “Local Content in Ghana” in Pereira E and Gormley Tonje P (ed) Local Content in the Petroleum Industry (PennWell Corp. 2018) pp 187-211, 2017
• Stephens TK and Dzikunu S, ‘Ghana’ in Pereira E and Talus K (ed), Upstream Law and Regulation: A Global Guide (Globe Law and Business, 2017) pp 103-122 2016
• Stephens TK, “In their Name and for their Welfare: Rethinking Ghana’s Constitutional Provisions for the Natural Resources Sector in the Light of Ghana’s Upstream Petroleum Industry” (2016) XXVIII UGLJ, pp 159-212
• Stephens TK, ‘The Long Meandering Journey: The Development of Ghana’s Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act, (2016) XXIX UGLJ pp 103-152 2015
• Stephens TK, ‘Ghana’ in Pereira EG and Talus K (ed) African Upstream Oil and Gas: A Practical Guide to the Law and Regulation (Globe Law and Publishing 2015) pp 181-206