Our Team
Builders are supported by an interdisciplinary team of faculty, program managers, industry coaches, advisors, and sector specialists who combine academic depth with practical experience.
Jessica Boifio
Associate Director
Jessica provides strategic leadership for the Center, shaping its strategic direction, ecosystem development, and programmatic coherence. With over a decade of experience in strategy development, program design, and institutional program management, she strengthens systems that advance the Center’s impact and support the development of entrepreneurs and ventures across Ashesi’s ecosystem.
Zalfa Paddy
Assistant Director, Marketing & Communications
Zalfa leads Marketing and Communications at the Center, overseeing the strategic positioning of the Center as a hub for cultivating builders within the Ashesi ecosystem. She brings over a decade of experience in brand marketing across both client and agency roles, spanning the nonprofit and private sectors.
Kwaku Dankwa
Content Writer
Kwaku shapes content and storytelling at the Center, helping document and share the journeys of entrepreneurs within Ashesi's entrepreneurship ecosystem. He brings over a decade of experience in communications, having worked across both creative and public relations at Ogilvy Africa Ghana before joining the Center.
Abeeku Acquah
Multimedia Officer
Abeeku is a documentary filmmaker and photojournalist with over seven years of experience telling stories from across Africa. In his role at the Center, he works to capture and share the journeys of entrepreneurs and changemakers. He believes in telling African stories with dignity, highlighting resilience, creativity, and hope to inspire positive change.
Owuraku Osei-Dwamena
Programs Officer
Owuraku leads program design and execution at the Ashesi Center for Entrepreneurship, driving initiatives that support venture development and ecosystem growth. He brings over seven years of experience across entrepreneurship, supply chain operations, and program management, with a strong focus on data-driven decision-making and stakeholder engagement.
Kwesi Abbiw Jackson
Operation Officer
Kwesi Abbiw Jackson manages operations, logistics, and finance at the Center, ensuring the smooth execution of programs that drive innovation and entrepreneurship. He is passionate about building efficient systems and empowering young entrepreneurs.
Disraeli Asante-Darko (PhD)
Head of Department: Business Administration; Director, Ashesi MBA
Track: Agrifood & Nutrition
Yaw Bediako (PhD)
Dean of Research and Innovation
Track: Health
Samuel Darko
Lecturer, Foundations of Design & Entrepreneurship
Track: Open Innovation
Philip Adom (PhD)
Head of Department: Economics
Track: Renewable Energy
Freda Obeng-Ampofo
Founder and CEO, KAEME
Freda Obeng-Ampofo is a strategic business leader and entrepreneur with more than 18 years of cross-sector experience spanning international development, operational leadership, and venture building across Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America.
She is the Founder and CEO of KAEME, an award-winning Ghanaian luxury skincare brand that serves customers globally and has been recognized as Skincare Brand of the Year for three consecutive years from 2022 to 2024. Under her leadership, KAEME has expanded across retail and hospitality channels while scaling eco-conscious manufacturing with a strong focus on sustainability, solar integration, and responsible packaging.
Before building KAEME full-time, Freda held senior roles at USAID West Africa and the European Union Delegation in Ghana, where she led work across strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, market systems, and portfolio oversight. She brings a rare combination of strategic discipline and founder experience, supporting entrepreneurs in business strategy, financial management, operational structure, and the mindset required to build scalable, resilient ventures.
William Edem Senyo
Co-Founder and CEO, Impact Hub Accra
William Edem Senyo is an ecosystem builder and entrepreneurship leader shaping the future of innovation in Ghana. As Co-Founder and CEO of Impact Hub Accra, he has led the development of Osu Ako Adjei into a growing innovation district where entrepreneurs, creators, investors, and global partners can connect, collaborate, and grow.
His work focuses on building the physical, social, and financial infrastructure that enables ventures to thrive. William has mobilized capital and partnerships from family offices, VCs, global foundations, international development agencies, DFIs and corporates. He brings a systems-level perspective to coaching founders, helping them build ventures rooted in community, purpose, and long-term scale.
William also now focuses on infrastructure-focused venture building, working through his new holdco, Hansen Road, to launch and lead new companies working on large storage and mobility solutions in the agricultural value chain for global exporters, local processors and aggregators.
Dr. Paulina Boadiwaa Mensah
Data Scientist, Edge Health UK
Dr. Paulina Boadiwaa Mensah is a physician and data scientist working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, medicine, and global health. She advances the use of AI and data-driven approaches to strengthen healthcare delivery and public health decision-making.
She has held roles at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research into Tropical Medicine, SnooCODERED, and The Global Health Network - Ghana, contributing to AI strategy and the development of contextually relevant digital health solutions. Paulina supports founders building technology-enabled health innovations with a focus on evidence, usability, and relevance within African care settings.
David K. Nikoi
Operations and Supply Chain Executive
David K. Nikoi is an operations and venture scaling leader with over 15 years of experience driving growth, operational excellence, and market expansion across technology, healthcare, agriculture, and consumer sectors in Africa.
As General Manager at Bolt Ghana, he led national operations, improved profitability, launched new service lines, and expanded the platform into 12 cities. Earlier in his career, he led supply chain and operations initiatives at organizations including Diageo, Unilever, mPharma and Complete Farmer, strengthening forecasting, distribution systems, improving working capital efficiency, and scaling operations across multiple African markets. He is currently a business mentor with Google under their Google Accelerator annual program.
Hannah Quashie
Finance & Investment Consultant
Hannah Quashie is a finance and investment consultant with over 21 years of experience. She holds an LLB from the University of Ghana and an MSc from
the University of Surrey. Hannah has led strategy at Chapel Hill Denham, streamlined global portfolios at Nomura
Asset Management UK, and was an equity partner at Sendwave, contributing to its $500M+ acquisition by World
Remit. Currently, she serves as an Independent Pension Funds Trustee for Metropolitan Provident Fund,
Chairperson of the Investment and Risk Committee, and a Fund Trustee for the Ghana Re-insurance Provident
Fund, while advising globally on finance, technology, and strategy through various board positions.
Jojo C. Quansah
Regional Director - Africa, SEED Global Education
Jojo C. Quansah is a product and commercial strategy leader with significant experience designing and scaling digital services across emerging markets. He currently leads SEED Global Education’s Africa strategy, working with universities and ecosystem partners to expand pipeline and partnership activities in the region.
Previously, Jojo led major product growth and market expansion initiatives at TigoVodafone, Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhanaPay by GhIPSS), and DStv Ivory Coast. He supports founders in shaping customer-centered product strategies, building strategic partnerships, and navigating complex multi-stakeholder environments with clarity and influence.
Kojo Akoto Boateng
CEO, Aya Sustainable Solutions
Kojo Akoto Boateng is a venture builder and ecosystem strategist with deep experience across agriculture and food systems. His work spans both policy design and on-the-ground implementation. He currently manages a combined 110 acres of farmland while developing integrated farming villages across more than 1,000 acres through Aya Sustainable Solutions, with strong export and revenue potential.
Previously, as Consultant and Project Manager at the Millennium Development Authority, Kojo led the design of a 10,000-acre rice-led Economic Enclave in the Greater Accra Region and coordinated the development of 20,000-acre multi-commodity enclaves across two additional regions. Earlier, at Newage Agric Solutions, he oversaw the design and construction of a 1.5-ton-per-hour rice mill, raised funding through crowdfunding to support approximately 2,000 smallholder farmers, and secured additional support through the Mastercard Foundation’s HAPPY Project.
He is also a co-host of the Super Morning Show on Joy FM and the Team Lead at 635foods.com.
Clara Pinkrah-Sam
Founder and Creative Director, Clatural
Clara Pinkrah-Sam is a business development and innovation leader whose work spans entrepreneurship, sustainable fashion, technology, and pharmacy. She brings strong experience in project management, advisory work, and venture growth, having supported complex initiatives for institutions including the UNDP, World Bank, and Development Bank Ghana.
She is the Founder and Creative Director of Clatural, an internationally recognized sustainable luxury fashion brand from Ghana that has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Elle, and Cosmopolitan. Through Clatural, Clara has championed ethical production, international market expansion, and digital commerce. She is also the Founder and CEO of the Clatural Academy for Sustainable Art (CASA) and contributes to the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network.
In addition, Clara serves as a Textile and Garment Expert for GOPA-AFC in work supporting the Development Bank Ghana, where she contributes to efforts to strengthen the country’s textile and garment sector. She supports student founders in securing funding, scaling creative and innovation-driven ventures, building strong teams, and turning bold ideas into commercially viable businesses.
Kwaku Osei-Sarpong
Founder & CEO, CIPA Holdings Group
Kwaku Osei-Sarpong is a visionary entrepreneur and infrastructure leader shaping Africa’s sustainable future through innovation, integrity, and inclusion. As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CIPA Holdings Group, he leads a Pan-African institution at the forefront of climate-resilient infrastructure, clean energy, electromobility, digital systems, and sustainable finance delivering transformative projects that power trade, productivity, and inclusive growth across the continent.
Kwaku’s philosophy is simple yet profound: Africa’s strongest infrastructure is credibility itself. Through CIPA, he is institutionalizing governance, trust, and impact as the foundation for Africa’s green transition; bridging policy, finance, and execution to transform ambitious ideas into bankable, high impact realities.
Under his leadership, CIPA and its subsidiaries and affiliated ventures have developed, structured, financed and delivered over multiple megawatts of clean-energy and infrastructure solutions across Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Zambia, and South Africa. The company’s integrated model combining development, EPC + Finance, and ESG advisory has earned recognition from Forbes Africa,
Gulf News UAE, and other international media for advancing Africa’s sustainable transformation.
Beyond business, Kwaku is deeply committed to social inclusion and leadership development. Through the CIPA Foundation, he champions initiatives that empower women, create youth employment, and strengthen local institutions to thrive in the green economy.
Nana Kofi Quakyi
MPH - Country Director, Aurum Institute Ghana
Nana Kofi Quakyi is a public health leader and digital health strategist with deep experience advancing innovation in African health systems. As Country Director for Aurum Institute Ghana, he oversees programs spanning digital health, tuberculosis, HIV, and antimicrobial resistance.
He is also Principal Investigator for an AI-driven antibiotic prescribing project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges initiative. With academic training from Emory University and Columbia University, Nana Kofi brings expertise in health policy, regulatory affairs, and technology-enabled care. He supports founders building evidence-based health innovations designed for scale and systems relevance.
Emmanuel Ampadu Jnr
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Pure & Just Co. Ltd
Emmanuel Ampadu Jnr is an agribusiness entrepreneur and operations leader with over a decade of experience building ventures across agriculture and rural market systems. An Ashesi alumnus, he began his entrepreneurial journey while at university by founding the Sesa Mu Farmers Initiative, which trained farmers in Berekuso in good agricultural practices, while also launching a dried pineapple business.
He currently serves as Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Pure and Just Co. Ltd (Yvaya Farm), where he oversees operations across production, quality control, supply chain, logistics, and people management. Under the leadership of Emmanuel and his co-founder, the business has generated over $1.5 million in revenue, created employment for more than 100 people, and raised over $1 million in investment.
Damilare Ogunleye
Ecosystem Innovation & Growth Specialist, Innovate UK Business Growth | Co-Founder, FoodLama
Damilare Ogunleye is a product and innovation leader with over 15 years of experience spanning product strategy, venture building, and technology commercialisation. Recognised as a Global Talent in Digital Technology by the UK Government, he currently serves as an Ecosystem Innovation and Growth Specialist at Innovate UK Business Growth, where he advises startups and SMEs on funding readiness, market entry, and commercialisation strategy. He is the Co-Founder of FoodLama, an AI-driven food discovery platform. He previously launched Nigeria's first energy sector innovation competition at NOGTECH and scaled a B2B SaaS product to over 5,000 daily active users. A Google Black Founder and Alibaba eFounder alumnus, Damilare has raised over $3 million in funding for startups and has been featured in publications including Sifted, Maddyness, and CNBC Africa. His work with founders is grounded in commercial discipline, helping ventures move from idea to traction through measurable milestones, product clarity, and evidence-based growth strategy.
Samuel Darko
MD, Global Business Services, Sand Technologies
Samuel Darko is the Managing Director for Global Business Services at SAND, with over 15 years of experience
as an entrepreneur and business leader. Previously, he was Vice-President at Genpact and a founding team
member of the African Leadership University (ALU). Samuel actively supports startups in Africa and Europe as an
angel investor and advisor, and he has been involved with Ashesi University’s Centre for Entrepreneurship since
2022, teaching entrepreneurship and design thinking. He holds an MBA from Oxford University and a certificate
from Wharton, University of Pennsylvania.
Emmanuel Seyram Duku
Central Africa-West Leader, Medtronic
Emmanuel Seyram Duku is a commercial and market access leader with over 17 years of experience across pharmaceuticals and medical technology. He currently serves as Central Africa–West Leader at Medtronic, where he drives strategy to expand access to life-saving medical technologies across the region.
His experience spans commercial expansion in capital equipment, respiratory and renal care, ENT, and neurosurgery, with prior leadership roles at AstraZeneca and Pfizer. Emmanuel brings deep expertise in health-market development, system navigation, and commercialization, helping founders design scalable solutions that improve access and respond to real health system needs.
Dr Brian Adu Asare
Head of Health Technology Assessments | Head, Drug Information, Research and M&E Unit, Ministry of Health, Ghana
Dr. Brian Adu Asare is a pharmacist, health economist and public health strategist with extensive experience shaping health systems, pharmaceutical policy systems and markets, as well as evidence-based healthcare in Ghana and other lower-middle-income settings. At the Ministry of Health, he leads Health Technology Assessments as well as the Drug Information, Research, and Monitoring & Evaluation Unit.
Since 2008, he has contributed to major national initiatives including the institutionalization of health technology assessment, selection of health technologies, COVID-19 and national standard treatment guidelines, pricing and pharmaceutical sector development reforms, evidence generation for health sector priority-setting, research, capacity building and antimicrobial resistance strategies.
Dr. Asare brings a policy and practical systems perspective to founders building for health markets, helping them understand regulation, evidence requirements, and pathways for adoption within public health systems.
Nana Opoku Agyeman-Prempeh
Co-Founder, Grow For Me | Co, Founder, Asoriba
Nana Opoku Agyeman-Prempeh is a serial entrepreneur and innovation leader with experience spanning fintech, agritech, and technology-driven ventures. With an academic background in Agricultural Engineering and a focus on machine systems and technology, his work is centered on solving critical challenges across African food systems, access to finance, market linkages, climate resilience, and rural livelihoods.
He is the Co-Founder of Asoriba, the first Pan-African church management software platform, which he helped scale across four African markets. He also played a key role in advancing Africa’s first crowdfunding regulations in Ghana, helping expand access to retail financing for small and medium-sized businesses. Nana currently leads the Pan-African growth strategy for Grow For Me, which has deployed a farmer-centered service on MTN Mobile Money to provide farmers with market access, inputs, training, insurance, savings, and loans.
A Mandela Washington Fellow and MEST alumnus, Nana brings deep experience in building technology-enabled ventures for underserved markets. He supports student founders in designing scalable solutions, navigating growth, and building ventures with both commercial relevance and systems impact.