Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector runs on policy, regulation and trust, and Dr. Sheila Addo has spent her career on all three. She is an energy policy strategist with a focus on energy and environmental policy formulation and implementation as well as the management of the commercial, social and regulatory impact of such policies.
Dr. Addo started her career at ACDIVOCA as the Market value chain linkages officer, then she joined NATIONAL PETROLEUM AUTHORITY as a Research manager and has undertaken pivotal roles within the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).
Dr. Addo has more than a decade of experience at the NPA. Her roles have included Research Manager, Head of Planning & Research, Head of Research and Technical Aide to the Chief Executive, Director of Projects, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Director of Policy Coordination. Where she managed the authority properly and effectively.
Dr Addo has been instrumental in shaping and executing critical policies within the Petroleum Downstream industry in Ghana. She is an author and an adjunct lecturer at the University of Professional Studies Accra, where she teaches Energy and Environmental Security at the postgraduate level.
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In February 2025, President John Dramani Mahama appointed her the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Authority.
At the 2026 Instinct Women Conference & Awards in Nairobi, she received the Woman Leader of the Year – Energy Regulation award, recognizing her leadership in Ghana’s energy regulatory landscape and her contributions to institutional strengthening, regulatory transparency and stakeholder engagement in the downstream petroleum sector.
Dr. Addo shows what the path to the top of a regulatory institution can looks like, deep technical expertise, years of institutional experience, and a commitment to teaching and mentoring. Her career is proof that women also belong at the center of Africa’s energy decisions.
Instinct Women’s Woman of the Week recognizes outstanding women leaders whose influence, innovation, and leadership are shaping industries across the globe and Dr. Sheila Addo exemplifies this impact in West Africa’s downstream petroleum sector.
