Profile of top Togolese govt lawyer representing Volta secessionists at ICC

The episode of groups of secessionists emanating from the Volta Region and creating chaos as a means to force the hand of the government of Ghana to grant them independence seems to be growing.

The latest development being that the secessionists have reached out to a renowned Togolese lawyer who also represents the West African country’s government.

Their mission? To seek the services of Lawyer Martial Akakpo to fight their course of autonomy and independence at the United Nations.

Togolese media, Focus Info, reports that Association of Civil and Professional lawyers’ (SCP) Martial Akakpo has agreed to represent the secessionist group.

When GhanaWeb contacted him, Lawyer Akakpo confirmed same.

Earlier, Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa whose area was one of several places the secessionist groups attacked, asserted that intelligence gathered suggested the culprits were of Togolese descent.

His information raised issues of interests of the Togolese government in the developing matter in Ghana.

Here’s a profile of the man representing the interests of Western Togoland secessionists at the International Criminal Court at the United Nations;

Martial Akakpo has been a lawyer at the Lomé Bar since 1988 specializing in international business litigation (judicial and arbitration).

He is also a member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration and teaches finance law for major infrastructure projects in Africa at the University Panthéon-Assas Paris II.

He serves as counsel of parties in international arbitrations or as an arbitrator appointed by the Common Court of Justice and Arbitration of OHADA (CCJA) in Abidjan and other arbitration centres.



He is a lecturer at the Regional Higher School for the Judiciary of OHADA (ERSUMA) in Porto Novo.

In his own words, Mr Akakpo “was the very first to create a law firm in Togo,” he did this after taking over from his father, Charles Akakpo who was also a teacher and a Magistrate in Togo.

The law firm, MARTIAL AKAKPO & ASSOCIES was certified by the German organization TÛV Rheinland.

They also regularly act as experts and consultants in the financing operations for the benefit of Togolese companies by international financial institutions such as the Société de Promotion et de Participation pour la Coopération Economique (Proparco), Société Financière Internationale (SFl ), the African Development Bank (ADB), the West African Development Bank (BOAD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), Deutsche Bank, the Chinese Development Bank (CDB), the Belgian Investment Company for developing countries (BIO) among others.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com