Meet The Forum Team: Martin Waana-Ang

Where are you from, what were you doing before Yale, and what brought you here?

I trained as a lawyer in Ghana. I have had the privilege of working at a leading law firm in Ghana; and I advised on complex commercial transactions, energy and mining, mergers and acquisitions, employment, sports, tax, and electricity law and policy. I am also worked with the government of Ghana on Ghana’s maritime delimitation arbitration dispute with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. I served as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Ghana School of Law and Ashesi University. I assisted with teaching Contract law, Legal Writing and Study Skills, and Equity Succession during my time there. I currently teach Environmental law and policy at KNUST, and Interpretation of deeds and statutes at the University of Business and Integrated Development.

My academic and professional work has focused on the intersections of law, development, and governance, particularly as it relates to resource extraction in sub-Saharan Africa. My formative years in legal education were deeply shaped by student leadership, advocacy, and scholarship. These experiences pushed me to think critically about how law operates not just as an abstract system, but as an instrument with profound consequences for economic transformation and social justice. These engagements convinced me of the need for rigorous, comparative, and globally informed legal training. While I was admitted to Yale, Harvard, and other top schools, both in the US and the United Kingdom, Yale Law School’s intellectual openness, its tradition of marrying theory with real-world problem solving, and its vibrant community of scholars and practitioners made it the natural next step in my journey.

What program are you in, and what do you hope to study during your time here?

I completed my master’s degree at the Law School in May 2026. I am currently enrolled in the Doctor of Science of Law (JSD) program. My research lies at the intersection of international economic law, natural resource governance, international environmental law, industrial policy, development economics, and the political economy of the global energy transition. My scholarship focuses particularly on critical minerals governance, trade and investment regulation, and the implications of geopolitical competition for resource-rich developing countries.

What drew you to writing at the Forum?

Having grown up in a community without electricity and where reliance on wood fuel for cooking was the norm, I experienced firsthand the urgency of finding alternative sources of energy. In Ghana, about 11% of the population remain off the national grid, and even for those connected, the supply is abysmally unreliable. Power cuts are routine, often plunging communities into darkness for two or three consecutive days. This fragility is compounded by the volatility of global oil prices and the mounting climate risks associated with dependence on traditional energy sources.

Through these early experiences—and later, in my work advising on energy projects in Ghana—I came to see the far-reaching consequences of unreliable energy supply, not only for households and businesses but for the economy. Energy law, to me, is therefore a domain deeply intertwined with questions of justice, sovereignty, and intergenerational equity. My interest has only deepened as I have witnessed the global urgency of climate change and recognized both the immense opportunities and the significant risks that Africa faces in navigating the green transition.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I like travelling most of the time, when I have the free time. But importantly, I love to read about global politics, international cooperation and thinking about how to make the world a better place.

What are you hoping to do once you finish your program at Yale?

After Yale, I see myself in international legal and policy practice, and ultimately, in academia. I am drawn to scholarship that both critiques and shapes legal regimes. At the same time, I envision active engagement with policy-making—through advising governments, working with international organizations, or building institutions in Ghana and Africa that can steward the energy transition. What excites me most is the prospect of contributing to a generational project: helping craft legal systems that will determine whether Africa’s growth is sustainable, inclusive, and just. The idea that law can be a lever for reimagining futures keeps me motivated.