Management
Prof. S. Kwaku Afesorgbor, Executive Founder
Prof. Afesorgbor is a Trade and Development Economist and an Associate Professor of Agri-Food Trade and Policy at the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics, University of Guelph, Canada, and a Research Associate at the Environment for Development (EfD) Initiative. He moved to the Netherlands after a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Statistics at the University of Ghana for a master’s in Development Economics at Erasmus University, Rotterdam. He then moved to Denmark for a Ph.D. in Economics and Business at Aarhus University. Kwaku was also a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Tuborg Research Centre for Globalization and Firms of Aarhus University, Denmark, and a recipient of the prestigious Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Florence, Italy.
His research has been published in reputable journals such as Energy Policy, World Development, European Journal of Political Economy, Environmental and Resource Economics, Journal of African Economies, African Development Review, Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics. Kwaku also consults for international organizations such as the African Development Bank and the International Trade Centre.
Mrs. Charity Mensah, Director of Media and Communications
Charity is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the School of English, at the University of Guelph. Charity's research interests include gender, media, communication, and media literacy. She moved from Denmark to Newfoundland (Memorial University) to pursue a Master's in Educational Leadership. Prior to that, she completed a Master's in education specializing in teaching English as a Second Language at the American College of Education in the United States with a project on the study of English in Danish Elementary Schools. She also completed MA coursework in Communications and a BA in English and Political Science at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Charity has also worked as a communication consultant and consulted on projects for Google, Dow Chemical, Western Union, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Her current research focuses on the representation of black women and girls in media and literature. Using Black Feminist and Media theory, she explores how these texts open alternative paths for Black girls, both in their own imaginations and in broader social contexts.
Mr. Charles S. Sakyi, Director of Research and Programs
Mr. Charles S. Sakyi holds a B.Sc. degree in Development Planning from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, and a Master’s Degree in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague, The Netherlands. Charles has an additional Master of Science Degree in Urban Management and Development from the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Professionally, he is a trained Development Specialist, and has been involved in plan formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of a number of development programs in Ghana. As a Participatory Development Planner with expertise in democratic decentralization, he has worked actively with various stakeholders under the Local Governance and Decentralization System in Ghana and other identifiable groups including women and children at the grassroots level. He served as an executive member of the Development Planning Committee of the Ho Municipal Assembly for two consecutive terms.
Mr. Sakyi was the Executive Director of the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP), a Ghanaian Non-Governmental Organization of international repute, whose mission is to support, facilitate and build the capacity of the poor, the marginalized, and vulnerable groups including women and children in society to become effective partners and together influence policy in pursuit of sustainable human development.
Ms. Francisca Esenam Afeka, Director of Data Analytics and IT
Ms. Francisca Afeka obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (first class) from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. She is also a registered student member of the Actuaries Society, UK. Francisca has an extensive work experience in data analytics and management in the banking and insurance industry in Ghana. She previously worked as a Premium Administration Officer, at Enterprise Life and Assurance Company. Prior to this, she also worked as a Loan Recovery Officer with the Barclays Bank of Ghana.
As part of her bachelor’s research, she developed operational software for a life insurance company using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0. She is proficient in the use of programming and statistical software including Stata, R, C++, and Matlab. Ms. Afeka has excellent analytical and numerical skills as well as in-depth knowledge of data extraction, manipulation and analysis, database development, and programming which has given her a great edge in her career development.
Francisca also completed a graduate program, Master of Science in Economics specializing in Banking and Finance at KNUST. Her research topic was “Evaluation of the impact of the upwards review of motor insurance premium on the performance of general insurance companies in Ghana”. This study focused extensively on insurance premium review and its implication for the performance of insurance companies in Ghana.