Ghana-based legal and development consulting at the intersection of gender justice, governance, and evidence-based policy reform.
SMP brings together legal expertise and development practice to support governments, donors, and civil society across Africa.
SMP Development Consulting is a Ghana-based firm at the intersection of law, policy, and social change. Founded by Sheila Yaa Nyantekyiwah Minkah-Premo — a senior legal practitioner with over 30 years of experience and Convener of Ghana's landmark Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121) — SMP brings rigorous legal expertise to complex development challenges.
We work with international organisations, bilateral donors, and government institutions to design, implement, and evaluate programmes that are evidence-based, gender-responsive, and grounded in African realities.
Our work spans judicial reform, national policy development, GBV programming, multi-donor programme management, and institutional capacity building. We have contributed to Ghana's National Gender Policy (2023–2027), reformed Gender-Based Violence courts, and coordinated multi-year programmes for some of the world's leading development organisations.
We don't just deliver outputs — we build systems, strengthen institutions, and leave lasting change.
We ground every recommendation in research and fieldwork, designing qualitative and quantitative instruments and synthesising findings into actionable deliverables.
We work closely with clients to understand institutional context, surface local knowledge, and build ownership into every phase of implementation.
Detailed workplans, clear governance documentation, and structured progress reports aligned to donor and partner standards — every mandate, every time.
We don't just deliver outputs — we build capability. Our training and facilitation work leaves lasting skills and systems within the institutions we serve.
Five core practice areas, grounded in Ghanaian law and international development standards.
Corporate governance, regulatory compliance, legal risk management, and compliance policy development across public and private sector contexts.
Policy review, judicial training, case management reform, and community-level programming on gender-based violence, domestic violence, and child rights.
Multi-agency input processes, policy brief production, legislative review, and advocacy strategy in support of national and international policy frameworks.
Workplan development, multi-partner coordination, donor reporting, and initiative governance for complex development programmes.
Programme evaluation, qualitative and quantitative data collection, fieldwork analysis, and evidence synthesis for donor and government clients.
Design and delivery of training programmes for government officials, judicial staff, and community stakeholders on gender, governance, and legal frameworks.
Enduring partnerships with leading international organisations, bilateral donors, and Ghanaian government institutions.
From landmark legislation to multi-year donor programmes — a selection of our most significant mandates.
Sheila Minkah-Premo served as Convener for the Affirmative Action Bill, championing its passage through sustained advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and coalition building over many years. The Bill was successfully enacted as the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121) — one of the most significant milestones in Ghana's legislative history on gender equity.
Technical advisory and coordination for Ghana's National Gender Policy (2023–2027) and National Domestic Violence Policy (2023–2032), managing multi-agency input processes for the Ghana Ministry of Gender.
Assessed sexual abuse case handling across Ghana's Gender-Based Violence Courts, identifying systemic barriers to case attrition and producing evidence-based reform recommendations.
Piloted and delivered national GBV case management training for Ghana Judicial Service staff across a multi-cohort rollout funded by the Danida Fellowship Centre.
Designed and delivered training on GBV, child rights, and inclusive governance for government and community stakeholders under Canada's Inclusive Local Governance and Rights Programme.
Served as Executive Secretary and Technical Coordinator for a World Bank-funded initiative documenting customary law on land and family across seven regional volumes in Ghana.
A multidisciplinary team spanning law, policy, research, gender-based violence programming, and social work.
We welcome enquiries from international organisations, government institutions, civil society, and the private sector.