Phyllis M. Christian (born 1956) is a

Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...

lawyer and consultant who has been called "one of the most influential women in Ghana".Paul Adom-Otchere
"Exclusive interview with Phyllis Maria Christian; founder Shawbell Consulting"
(video), 23 June 2016. A lawyer by training (the fourth generation of her family to enter the legal profession), she is also the founder, chief executive officer and managing consultant of ShawbellConsulting, based in

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

."About Us"
ShawbellConsulting. Her maternal grandfather

George Alfred Grant George Alfred Grant, popularly known as Paa Grant (15 August 1878 – 30 October 1956), was a merchant and politician in the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast

Background

Education and early career

Phyllis Maria Christian was born in Ghana, the elder daughter of high court lawyer Howard J. Christian and his wife Sarah (''née'' Grant, whose father Paa Grant was the founding president of the

United Gold Coast Convention The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was an early nationalist movement British colony of the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) that sought independence after the Second World War. It was founded in August 1947 with the aim of self-government "i ...

, which fought for Ghanaian independence), and the fourth of her parents' five children. Her father was the son of

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

-born barrister George James Christian (1869–1940). She was educated at Holy Child School in

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city and the capital of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, Cape Coast Metropolitan District and the Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of Ghana, Ghana. It is located about from Sekondi-Takoradi and approximately from Ac ...

(1967–74), and from 1974 to 1977 at the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...

Legon Legon , a suburb of the Ghanaian city Accra, is situated about north-east of the city center in the Ayawaso West Municipal District, a district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Legon is home to the main campus of the University of Ghana. ...

. She received a degree in English Literature and Philosophy, and went on to postgraduate studies in law at the University of Ghana (1979) and a postgraduate degree in International Law & Business from the

City University of London City, University of London was a public university from 1966 to 2024 in London, England. It merged with St George's, University of London to form City St George's, University of London in August 2024. The names "City, University of London" and ...

(1981), obtaining professional qualification from the

Ghana School of Law The Ghana School of Law (GSL) is an educational institution in Ghana for training lawyers. The school is the only institution responsible for training for law graduates in the Professional Law Course (PLC) programme and the Post-Call Law Course. ...

in 1981.

ShawbellConsulting

In June 2002, Christian founded ShawbellConsulting,David Adadevoh
"Shawbell-Consulting optimistic about business prospects"
, ''The Ghanaian Times'', 21 January 2016. an Accra-based company providing legal and management consultancy services. In her role as chief executive officer, Christian (whose specialist practice areas are Corporate and Energy) has led the company to win a number of awards, being adjudged best law consulting firm of the year at the Offshore Ghana Oil and Gas Awards in 2014–15, among other accolades.

Other activities

As an advocate of incentives for indigenous firms, Christian has written for such outlets as the ''

Daily Graphic ''The Daily Graphic: An Illustrated Evening Newspaper'' was the first American newspaper with daily illustrations. It was founded in New York City in 1873 by Canadian engravers George-Édouard Desbarats and William Leggo, and began publicati ...

'', and endorses plans for legislation "to require that at least 70 per cent of all government, taxpayer-financed contracts and procurements be executed by local corporate entities" and a policy requiring a specified percentage be sourced "from entities owned by women, persons with disability, and those established under the Youth Enterprise Fund".David Adadevoh
"ShawbellConsulting marks 15 years anniversary – advocates incentives for locally-owned professional firms"
, '' The Ghanaian Times'', 6 June 2017. In a voluntary capacity, Christian has been a board member of a number of organisations, including Sharecare Ghana (Sharecare4U) and the independent not-for-profit Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG). In 2015, she was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) of President

John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who has been the 14th president of Ghana since January 2025. A member of the National Democratic Congress (Ghana), National Democratic Congress (NDC), he served as the 12th p ...

. Her writings include the chapter "Administration of justice by traditional authorities in Ghana: an exposition on the law and practice" contributed to ''A Commitment to Law, Development and Public Policy'' (2016, edited by Richard Frimpong Oppong and Kissi Agyebeng), a ''

festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

'' in honour of Nana Dr

S. K. B. Asante Samuel Kwadwo Boaten Asante (SKB Asante) (born 11 May 1933) (not to be confused with Professor Samuel Kingsley Botwe Asante (SKB Asante), the academician) is a Ghanaian lawyer and the Paramount Chief of Asokore Asante in the Ashanti Region. He was ...

, lawyer and

paramount chief A paramount chief is the English-language designation for a king or queen or the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a Chiefdom, chief-based system. This term is used occasionally ...

of Asokore Asante in the

Ashanti Region The Ashanti Region is located in the southern part of Ghana and is the third largest of Regions of Ghana, 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of and making up 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the List of ...

. Christian appeared in the documentary film ''The Election Petition'', which deals with the processes leading up to, during and after the election petition that was filed after Ghana's 2012 general elections. She chairs the Ethics Committee of the

Ghana Football Association The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is the sports governing body, governing body of association football in Ghana, based in the capital city, Accra. Founded in 1957 to replace the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast Football Association whi ...

(GFA), and in 2021 was appointed to the Ghana Advisory Board of

Tullow Oil Tullow Oil plc is a multinational oil and gas exploration company founded in Tullow, Ireland, with its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange. History The company was founded by Aidan Hea ...

."Tullow Ghana establishes advisory board"
mjoyonline.com, 8 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.

References

External links

* Paul Adom-Otchere
"Exclusive interview with Phyllis Maria Christian; founder Shawbell Consulting"
''Good Evening Ghana'', 23 June 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, Phyllis 1956 births Living people 20th-century Ghanaian lawyers 20th-century Ghanaian women lawyers 21st-century Ghanaian lawyers 21st-century Ghanaian women lawyers Alumni of Holy Child High School, Ghana Ghana School of Law alumni Management consultants University of Ghana alumni