For the fourth year running, Ghanaian legal heavyweight Ace Anan Ankomah has secured a place among the world’s most elite litigators — a distinction that continues to affirm his reputation well beyond the boundaries of Ghana’s legal establishment.
Ankomah, Senior Partner at the Accra-based firm Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah, has been named in the 2026 edition of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators guide, one of the most authoritative rankings of litigation talent in international legal practice. His recognition spans dispute resolution, international arbitration, and complex cross-border litigation — fields in which he has built a track record that few practitioners on the African continent can match.
Now in its fifth edition, the Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators guide is no casual list. It identifies and honours lawyers who have distinguished themselves in the highest-stakes disputes involving sovereign governments, multinational corporations, and industries ranging from energy and construction to finance and international trade. Selection is rigorous — drawn from nominations, independent research, and extensive vetting by clients and peers across the global legal community.
Ankomah’s consistent presence across four consecutive editions places him in rare company and signals that his recognition is not a moment of spotlight, but a sustained verdict from the international legal profession on the quality of his work.
The Case That Captivated the World
Central to Lawdragon’s profile of Ankomah is his role as lead attorney for NML Capital in its landmark legal battle against Argentina — a case that drew global attention and tested the boundaries of international law in dramatic fashion.
The dispute resulted in the attachment of an Argentine naval vessel and triggered proceedings before both Ghana’s Supreme Court and the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) — placing Accra at the centre of a geopolitical and legal storm that reverberated across continents. The matter was eventually resolved through a settlement exceeding $2.4 billion, one of the most significant outcomes in the history of sovereign debt litigation.
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The case remains a defining chapter not just in Ankomah’s career, but in Ghana’s emergence as a jurisdiction capable of hosting — and adjudicating — disputes of genuine international consequence.
Beyond the Argentina case, Lawdragon’s profile highlights Ankomah’s broader dispute resolution portfolio, which reads as a cross-section of major regional and international commercial players. He has represented Volta Aluminium Company/Kaiser, Western Telesystems, Deloitte, Fortiz, and Balkan Energy across a range of arbitration and litigation matters — a client base that reflects both the depth and diversity of his practice.
At his firm, Ankomah leads the disputes practice, overseeing trials, domestic arbitrations, and international arbitration proceedings — a role that positions him as the institutional anchor of one of Ghana’s most respected legal outfits.
What distinguishes this latest recognition from a one-off accolade is its consistency. Four consecutive inclusions in the Lawdragon guide represent a sustained peer and client endorsement that transcends any single case or headline. For Ghana’s legal profession — and for the broader project of establishing African legal practitioners as genuine peers in international forums — Ankomah’s continued presence on this list carries significance beyond individual achievement.
In a landscape where African lawyers are often absent from the rosters of global legal rankings, his trajectory offers both a benchmark and a statement of possibility.
Credit: Citi Newsroom