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Board of Directors

John Eleblu
Founder & Director

Dr. John Saviour Yaw Eleblu has over 15 years of experience in plant science research and teaches plant biology related subjects. Dr. Eleblu is a lecturer at the Biotechnology Centre and the Coordinator of Research Programmes, Francophone Africa at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana. He has developed training manuals and carried out training programmes for farmers, opinion leaders and policy makers on USAID funded Biotechnology Awareness programme in three Districts of Northern Ghana.

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Edward Asiedu
Deputy/Associate Director, Economic Programmes
Dr. Edward Asiedu has over 15 years of experience in research and teaching in the area of development economics in Africa, Canada and Germany. His research and project interest lies in the area of development economics; specifically in the design and evaluation of poverty-reduction linked interventions, development financing, behavioral economics, agricultural economics, remittance and migration data analysis. Dr. Asiedu is a lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS). He is also a research fellow at the Chair of Development Economics at the University of Passau in Germany and an affiliate faculty at the Centre for Migration Studies (CMS) of the University of Ghana. He has carried out baseline and follow-up training and impact evaluation for a number of organizations such as the GIZ, FAO, World Bank, University of Groningen, Toulouse School of Economics etc.
Naalamle Amissah
Associate Director, Food and Nutrition Security
Dr. Naalamle Amissah has over 15 years teaching and research experience in Horticulture Science and related areas. Her research interests are in the selection, evaluation and propagation of economically important plants that are either difficult-to-propagate or at risk of extinction (several tree, medicinal plant and vegetables species fall within this category), as well as the development of improved technologies to ensure their successful establishment. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Crop Science at the University of Ghana and serves as a thematic coordinator of the Africa Climate Change Adaptation Initiative (ACCAI). She is part of a team that carried out a baseline and end line survey for the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) and conducted a midterm evaluation for the Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project (GCAP). She has carried out trainings workshops for farmers and as well developed training manuals and other dissemination materials (videos) for their training.
Nana Afranaa Kwapong
Associate Director, Outreach Programmes
Dr. Nana Afranaa Kwapong has over 10 years of experience in research and teaching in the area of agricultural policy and rural development. She is a lecturer at the University of Ghana, Department of Agricultural Extension. Dr. Kwapong has worked with a number of research organizations including the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), mostly conducting research studies, managing research projects, and reporting on project implementation to partners and donors. She has published some of her research findings in peer reviewed journals and also written policy notes to communicate key research findings to policy practitioners.
Kingsley Essegbey
Associate Director, Resource Mobilization
Mr. Kingsley Essegbey is a dynamic business strategist with over 10 years of demonstrated programs management capability facilitating multiple, multi-year, million dollar sensitive Research Projects in the technology, finance and non-profits sectors. Kingsley has served as Assistant Director (Research Scientist) for NYU Africa House at New York University. In this capacity, he also coordinated several research-based programs for Development Research Institute and Center for Technology and Economic Development. His industry research interests include Growth, Economic Strategy, Green Procurement Management and Financial Risk Management. He is an MBA Candidate (2020) at the Jack Welch Management Institute of Strayer University.
Darlington Ahiale Akogo
Associate Director, ICT, Data Management and Planning
Mr. Darlington Ahiale Akogo is the Founder, C.E.O and Director of Artificial Intelligence at minoHealth, where they are democratising quality healthcare with Artificial Intelligence (AI), data analytics, biotechnology and cloud computing. He is also an Advisory Board Member and the Ambassador to West Africa for AI Expo Africa, the largest business focused AI community in Africa, where together with other leaders in AI and the 4th Industrial Revolution sector, they are building an AI-powered Future for Africa. Darlington Ahiale Akogo also heads minoHealth AI Labs where they research and apply Artificial Intelligence to fields like Biotechnology, Neuroscience, Optometry, Epidemiology, Dietetics/Nutrition and Agriculture. And with Gudra AI Studio, they explore Artificial Intelligence applied to general domains like Energy, Art, Education and Linguistics. He’s also the Founder and Director of Runmila AI Institute, where they are training Africans in Artificial Intelligence (Deep Learning & Machine Learning) and its development.
Seloame Tatu Nyaku
Associate Director, Research and Training Programmes
Dr. Seloame Tatu Nyaku has research interests in host-plant interactions and application of integrated control measures for management of nematode and fungal pathogens on plants, including indigenous crop species. Other areas of expertise include, designing Real-Time PCR assays, and analyzing data from multiple sources including complex whole genome, transcriptome, and population genomics through the usage of bioinformatics tools available from numerous public and private sources. His current research focuses on the application of grafting techniques on tomato, utilizing nematode-resistant root-stocks, together with imploring useful rhizosphere microorganisms for nematode and fungal control. Dr. Nyaku was a Cambridge-Africa Partnership for Research Excellence (CAPREx) fellow at University of Cambridge in 2016, where he collaborated with Dr. Uta Paszkowski of the Department of Plant Science, to understand local and systemic responses of Meloidogyne incognita infections on local Ghanaian tomato varieties and their wild relatives. Dr. Nyaku is currently a Lecturer with the Department of Crop Science, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, where he supervises Graduate and Undergraduate students in plant pathology and nematology.
Freda Elikplim Asem
Associate Director, Business Intelligence and Markets
Dr. Freda Elikplim Asem is a lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, College of Basic and Applied Sciences. She holds a PhD in Development Studies from University of Ghana, an MSc. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, and a BSc. in Agricultural Economics from University of Ghana, Legon. Freda is an agricultural economist by training and a researcher with over 16 years of experience in the agricultural sector. She is passionate about agricultural development in Ghana and Africa at large; particularly in relation to smallholder farmers. Her research interests include agricultural marketing, agribusiness and agricultural value chain analyses and their implications for improving the livelihoods of all value chain actors; most importantly smallholder farmers. Her overall goal is to contribute significantly to improving African food systems to enable smallholders farmers benefit greatly from their business.

 

 


Management Team

John Eleblu
Founder & Director

Dr. John Saviour Yaw Eleblu has over 15 years of experience in plant science research and teaches plant biology related subjects. Dr. Eleblu is a lecturer at the Biotechnology Centre and the Coordinator of Research Programmes, Francophone Africa at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana. He has developed training manuals and carried out training programmes for farmers, opinion leaders and policy makers on USAID funded Biotechnology Awareness programme in three Districts of Northern Ghana.

Godsway Asamoah
Managing Director
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Reuben Kudiabor
Programs Development Officer
Godwin Tornyor
Executive Personal Assistant

Visiting Fellows

David Botchie
Visiting Fellow