Myma Adwowa Belo-Osagie, a senior partner at Lagos-based law firm, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO), has been elected as an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ (AAAS) in its 2018 Class of new Fellows and Honorary Members.
Founded in 1780, the Academy is one of the country’s oldest learned societies and independent policy research centres, convening leaders from the academic, business, and government sectors to respond to the challenges facing -and opportunities available to- the world.
Its projects and publications generate ideas and offer recommendations to advance the public good in the arts, citizenship, education, energy, government, the humanities, international relations, science and more.
The Academy is committed to recognising and celebrating excellence, and honours exceptional scholars, leaders, artists, and innovators, and engages them in sharing knowledge and addressing challenges facing the world.
Belo-Osagie will join other 2018 honourees and fellows including Barack Obama and various civic, business, and philanthropic leaders, scholars, scientists, writers and artists who have been elected to the 238th class of the Academy.
Existing African members include Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Wole Soyinka.
Belo-Osagie holds an LL.B (1975) from the University of Ghana, Legon, and an LL.M (1978) and SJD (1985) from Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and is admitted to practice in Ghana, New York and Nigeria.
The mother of four serves as a Managing Partner in UUBO, where she heads its Telecommunications and Oil & Gas teams. Her areas of specialisation include corporate restructuring, acquisitions, foreign investment, regulatory communications, and equity finance and infrastructure projects, among many others.
She has been the Chairman of Africa Opportunity Fund Limited since February 28, 2014, and its Non-executive Director since June 2007 and served as a Non-Executive Director of FSDH Merchant Bank Limited during a stint that lasted until October 31, 2016.
She is a member of the New York, Ghana and Nigeria Bars and is a member of the American Bar Association and is ranked as a “leading lawyer” for her corporate, mergers and acquisitions (Chambers Global Guide), project finance (IFLR 1000 and Who’s Who Legal), finance and telecommunications (Legal 500) work.
