Our People

HRH Prince Ebrahim – Founder

HRH Prince Ebrahim is from a Koring Sanyang Royal Dynasty dating back to the Kaabu and Mali Empire and is one of Africa’s foremost investors and entrepreneurs with interests that span Real Estate, Commodities, Financial Services, Media and Entertainment; as well as two charitable foundation.

HRH is an Investment Banker; a Africa Expert Analyst on Cross-border Risk, Government and Private Sector Structured Financing and Settlement. As well as a mandated Development Economist and Sovereign Government Policies Advisor serving numerous Governments, Multilaterals, Multi-Nationals and NGOs. He is a Member of “Chatham House” (Royal Institute of International Affairs).

HRH Prince Ebrahim is the Chairman of Royal Africa Holdings, an Africa-focused diversified investment holding company with over US$8 billion in pipeline development projects, assets and portfolios across Africa. Prince Ebrahim is arguably one of Africa’s most energetic entrepreneurs making a significant impact across the continent. Through Africaada Bank, he is set to revolutionise financial service provision on the continent and deepen financial inclusion

Trustees & Executive Committee

Barrister Uzoma Achigbue
Trustee

Barrister Uzoma Achigbue was enrolled as a Barrister by The General Legal Council, under the Chairmanship of the Lord Chief Justice of Republic of The Gambia, as a legal practitioner at the Gambia Bar at the Superior Courts Complex in Banjul on the 15th October 2009.

Born on April, 2, 1969 at Emu-uno Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State in Nigeria, Barrister Achigbue graduated at the Edo State (now Ambrose Ali) University in 1992 and was called to the Nigerian Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on December 15, 1993.

Barrister Uzoma Achigbue, whilst in Nigeria worked as counsel in the Law firm of B M Dalhatu and Co, where he acquired the skills of Legal Practice especially in the area of Litigation, Conveyance, Debt Recovery, Criminal Prosecution and Defense, Banking and Company practices.

Later as Head of Chambers in the Law firm of Tony Samuel and Co (Nigeria), he succeeded in expanding practice experience as well as being responsible for the distribution of functions and training of new attorneys.

Upon arrival in The Gambia, Barrister Uzoma Achigbue worked as a Research Assistant in the law firm of Mariam Denton as well as a research officer in the law firm of Ousman Sillah (Oussu’s Chambers).

Barrister Achigbue later moved to the Gambia Government’s Attorney General’s Chambers (where current ICC Prosecutor General formerly worked) and worked as a State Counsel engaged in Criminal Prosecution.

He later transferred from Government’s Attorney General’s Chambers, moved to the Asset Management and Recovery Corporation (AMRC) a Governmental Recovery Parastatal, set up to recover non-performing assets and debts of the defunct Gambia Commercial Development bank. Barrister Achigbue was responsible for all matters of a legal nature including litigation correspondence and drafting of legal documents as well as management of the corporation’s estate.

H.E. Ansumana Jammeh
Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary

Ambassador Ansumana Jammeh is the Gambia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary accredited to the State of Qatar.

He is a selfless civil servant and career diplomat who has serve various strategic spheres of Gambia’s institutional and social fabrics with humility, discipline, honesty, maturity with distinctive principal values of equity and development for all.

Ambassador Jammeh attend Unversity of Missouri where he studied Avionics, upon his return to Gambia he went unto to take a voluntary job at Jammeh Foundation For Peace. Jammeh Foundation for Peace (JFP), is an independent, non-political, charitable organisation in The Gambia that aims to effect a substantial and sustainable improvement in the quality of life of all communities in the Gambia.

During his tenure at the Jammeh Foundation, H.E Ansumana Jammeh has tabled and address various teething humanitarian appeals and assistance ranging from Health, Refugees, Education, Feeding programmes, Housing among others.

He also brought about closer working relations between various sectors of the Gambia in addressing solutions of common national challenges.

He has the utmost respect of various Gambian Communities where various communities, populaces, sports organisations had all ceremoniously adopted him as their God-Father.

Upon successful and sustained civil society engagement over a period of time, The Government of The Gambia recognised and reward his meritorious services to the people of Gambia; and appointed him as
The Gambia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipontiary to the State of Qatar.

Whilst in Qatar, Ambassador Jammeh has severally met with
His Royal Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani the ruler of The State of Qatar on positive Gambia and Qatar relations.

H.E. Ambassador Jammeh also severally engages into successful Gambia-Qatar Bilateral negotiations, businesses and many socio-economic development cooperation initiatives.

H.E’s passion remains in serving humanity for Peace and Prosperity

Programme Coordinator:
Fadila Ahmad
Ghana

Advisory Board

H.R.H Paramount Chief of Gambia
Alh Demba Sanyang
(Awaiting Approval)

HRH Alh Demba Sanyang isis from a Koring Sanyang Royal Dynasty dating back to the Kaabu and Mali Empire.

HRH is also the First Paramount Chief of the Republic of The Gambia and presides over the National Council of “Seyfolus” (National Council of Chiefs). The council was created to enhance the implementation of the governance policy and program, and support the mainstream of traditional values and practices in Government of the Gambia’s socio-economic development and dispensation programs.

HRH Paramount Chief was inaugurated on the 22nd Feb 2008 by The President of The Gambia H.E. Sheichk Prof Alhaji Yahya AJJ Jammeh “Babibili Mansa” at the Brikama town praying grounds.

HRH Paramount Chief’s inauguration ceremony forms part of activities marking the Gambia’s 43rd Independence anniversary. Since he assumed office, he has helped in addressing matters relating to the administration of Justice as well as cultural and traditional issues, and pave the way for a closer collaboration and consultation among “Seyfolus” (National Council of Chiefs).

HRH Paramount Chief Alh Demba Sanyang is known for his passion of promoting Culture, Tradition, Social integration, Peaceful coexistence and Youth Inclusion & Development. He also is an activist for rice self-sufficiency in the Gambian, a goal the government has set to promote rice farming and achieve food security.

HRH Paramount Chief Alh Demba Sanyang is from a Koring Sanyang Royal Dynasty dating back to the Kaabu and Mali Empire. The Royal Sanyang Clan along with the nyanchos are one of the 6th Custodians of the sacred white stone at Kansala, the imperial capital of Kaabu Empire and a former Mali Empire Military Outpost.

H.R.H Ruler Asante
Otumfuo Osei Tutu IIAsantehene
(Awaiting Approval)

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is the 16th occupant of the Golden Stool and for that matter he is the 16th Asantehene. A direct descendant of King Osei Tutu I, who is reputed to be the founder of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, ascended to the Golden Stool (Sika Dwa) on the 26th day of April, 1999, on the demise of his elder brother Otumfuo Opoku Ware II. This year 2015 marks the 15th anniversary of his reign.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was born on the 6th day of May, 1950 to Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, the incumbent Asantehemaa (i.e., the Queenmother of the Asantes) and the late Opanin Boakye Dankwa of Kentinkyiren, a town near Kumasi.

He studied at Prempeh College, Kumasi for a short period after which he was transferred to thenSefwi Wiawso Secondary School in the Western region of Ghana for the reason that his Uncle wanted him to learn things the hard way and associate with non-royals. This aspect of the king’s training and grooming has striking affinities with that of King Osei Tutu I, founder of the Asante kingdom, who was sent to Denkyira to undergo a similar training.

King Asantehene Osei Tutu II’ name at birth, Nana Barima Kwaku Duah, is the name of the Ashanti king’s paternal grandfather.

King Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II of the Kingdom of Ashanti resides at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, the capital city of the Kingdom of Ashanti.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown
(Awaiting Approval)

Right Honourable Gordon Brown served as Prime Minister of the UK between 2007 and 2010. He also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Tony Blair from 1997 to 2007.

During his long term of office, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown became one of the world’s most experienced political leaders, with a deep understanding of the global economy based on 10 years’ experience as Great Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer. He has been a key architect of the G8’s agreements on poverty and climate change, and has provided a passionate voice to encourage the developed world to aid struggling African countries. He is an advocate of global solutions for global problems — through both the reinvention of international institution and the advancement of a global ethics.

While prime minister, Brown promoted technology as a tool for economic (and environmental) recovery. With his charge to “count the carbon and the pennies,” research on electric cars and residential energy efficiency are slated to become a major part of the UK’s recovery plan. He pushed for universal broadband and a general increase in spending on science. And he sought to use new communication tools like Twitter and YouTube as a means to communicate government policy.

Ach Bishop Desmond Tutu
(Awaiting Approval)

The name Desmond Tutu resonates strongly with people all around the world. While his vigorous anti-apartheid activism in his native South Africa first propelled him into the glare of international news media, today he is revered as a “moral voice” to end poverty and human rights abuses. While he is an Anglican Archbishop emeritus and steadfast in his religious beliefs, Tutu places great value on religious inclusiveness and interfaith dialogue.

Born in Klerksdorp, near Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1931, Tutu initially followed his father’s example and obtained teaching qualifications. However, following the introduction of Bantu education in 1958, he decided to enter the ministry. He was ordained in Johannesburg three years later.

Following further theological studies at King’s College in London, Tutu held several positions in teaching and theological work in southern Africa. In 1978, he was persuaded to leave his job as Bishop of Lesotho to become the new General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC). In this position, which he held until 1985, Tutu became a national and international figure.

The SACC was committed to fulfilling the social responsibility of the Church, and as its chairperson, Tutu led a formidable crusade in support of justice and racial conciliation in South Africa. His tireless work was recognized in 1984, when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Then, following a short stint as the Bishop of Johannesburg, Tutu was elected Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986, an office he held until his retirement in 1996.

In 1996, he was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a body set-up to probe gross human rights violations during apartheid.

Following the presentation of the Commission’s report to then president Mandela in October 1998, Tutu has been a visiting professor at Emory University, Atlanta, the Episcopal Divinity School, Boston and the University of North Florida, Jacksonville. He has published several books, the latest of which is titled ‘God Has a Dream’. He has a private office near his home in Milnerton, Cape Town.

H.E. President J Rawlings
(Awaiting Approval)

H.E. Jerry John Rawlings is Former Head of State and President of the Republic of Ghana.

A decorated Flt Lt H.E. Jerry John Rawlings, is respected and admired across the continent of Africa and internationally for his charisma, sincerity, drive, patriotism, and participatory leadership approach.

He is also known for his anti-corruption credentials, and for his unwavering advocacy of social justice, political and socio-economic empowerment of Ghana’s people. He is the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), a political party established in 1992 on the ethos of social democracy. In October 2010, the African Union appointed H.E. Jerry John Rawlings as the AU High Representative on Somalia to “mobilize the continent and the rest of the international community to fully assume its responsibilities and contribute more actively to the quest for peace, security and reconciliation in Somalia.” President Rawlings was appointed Ambassador of the Pan-African Parliament in October 2011.

From 1981 to 1992, he was the Chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) – a joint military/civilian government. In 1992, he was elected president under a new constitution. After two terms in office, he handed over on January 7 2001 and served as the United Nations Eminent Person for International Volunteerism.

His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings is the tenth recipient of The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) accolade of ‘AGRICOLA’ medal for promoting agriculture in Ghana. He was awarded the Clarence Martin Medal for Support of Higher Education, and in 1994, the Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Justice Award. He is also a joint recipient of the 1993 World Hunger Award for transforming “his country from a condition of economic crisis to a model of self-reliance, consistently focusing on the need for increased food production.”

H.E. President Jerry John Rawlings is married to Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and has four adult children

H.E. President Thabo Mbeki
(Awaiting Approval)

H.E President Thabo Mbeki is a South African politician born on 18 June 1942 in Idutywa, Transkei.

He is best known as the two-term president of South Africa after Nelson Mandela. The anti-apartheid supporter rose within the political ranks of the African National Congress. He served two terms as the second president of South Africa after Nelson Mandela.

His increasing political leadership role saw him lead the ANC delegation which held secret talks with the South African Government from 1989 and which led to agreements regarding the unbanning of the ANC and the release of political prisoners. He participated in the Groote Schuur and Pretoria deliberations, which resulted in the agreements which became known as the Groote Schuur and Pretoria Minutes (1990).

H.E. President Thabo Mbeki participated in all subsequent negotiations leading to the adoption of the interim Constitution for the new South Africa. In 1993, he was elected Chairperson of the ANC, succeeding the late former President and Chairperson of the ANC, Oliver R Tambo, with whom he had had a close working relationship over the years.

In subsequent years, he was elected as the President of the Republic of South Africa (1999); Chairperson of the African Union (July 2002 – July 2003) and President of the Republic of South Africa (2004, second term)

President Mbeki has achieved the following awards:

• Honorary Doctorate from Rand Afrikaans University (17th September 1999)

• Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Glasgow Caledonian University (19th May 2000)

• Newsmaker of the Year from Pretoria Press Club (22nd August 2000)

• Member of the Sterling Committee of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad)

Dr Abdoulie Janneh
(Awaiting Approval)

Dr Janneh is the former United Nations Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). He was appointed to the position by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in September 2005.

Janneh is an active player in promoting African development and responding to the continent’s national and regional priorities. Throughout his career, he has been an active player in enhancing partnership-building for Africa, aiming to mobilize support and build inclusiveness for shared development objectives. He has established and maintained high level partnership with programme and donor governments, the private sector, civil society and national, regional and international organizations. He has also written articles on African development and delivered policy statements and keynote speeches. He was member of several advisory panels of organizations on Africa’s development.

He started his career at the United Nations Development Programme as a development planner in 1979. Over the years, he has risen to become a senior manager both in the UNDP and its affiliated funds, including Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative in Ghana (1996-1999) and Niger (1993-1996) and Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Capital Development Fund (1990-1993).

Under his guidance, the UNDP Bureau for Africa has contributed greatly to promoting good governance, the fight against HIV/AIDs, economic reform, fair trade, poverty eradication and crisis prevention. He also pays special attention to issues such as the institutional transformation of the African Union and the successful implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). He has played a critical role in strategy and policy-setting in UNDP and had spearheaded institutional change and development in the organization. In 1999, he led the Transition Team of the former UNDP Administrator, Mark Malloch Brown.

From 2000 to 2007, Janneh served as Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Africa, in charge of managing UNDP’s largest Regional Bureau, covering 45 countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a complement of over 1,500 staff.

He obtained a Master of Arts degree in Urban and Regional Planning Studies from the University of Nottingham in England. He is also a graduate of Engineering Science from Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone and undertook post-graduate studies in Project Planning and Appraisal at the University of Bradford in England.

H.E. President
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
(Awaiting Approval)

His Excellency Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva commonly referred to simply as “Lula,” is a Brazilian politician. He was elected President of Brazil in 2002, and re-elected in 2006. He is a liberal politician who often adopts centrist positions. He was a very effective president, avoiding scandals and allowing Brazilian industry to prosper while taking steps towards combating Brazil’s legendary poverty.

As Brazil’s first working-class president, Lula became a global symbol of the fight against poverty and the rise of emerging markets. The combination of market-friendly policies with expanded social welfare programs has given H.E Lula the reputation of a moderate leftist, and his policy mix is seen as a model for much of Latin America.

His flagship welfare program, Bolsa Familia, has received international recognition as one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce extreme poverty and boost local economic activity. The program pays families a monthly stipend, provided they get regular medical check-ups and sends their children to school.

Under his administration, Brazil’s economy grew at its fastest pace in decades and some 20 million people emerged from poverty. He has given the central bank a free hand to conduct monetary and currency policy, but during the 2008/09 global financial crisis he stepped up government-centered economic policies, such as boosting state enterprises and low-cost loans.

H.E President Luiz Inacio Lula during his time as President of Brazil had a much more proactive foreign policy than any of his predecessors, acting as a mediator in regional conflicts, leading a peace-keeping mission in Haiti, and playing a key role in global trade and climate negotiations. Brazil helped foment a common front of developing nations to help counterbalance interests of the United States and Europe in the Doha trade round.

A charismatic, grandfatherly figure, President Lula is one of the few global leaders with a popularity rating around 80 percent toward the end of his second term.

H.E. Mary Robinson
(Awaiting Approval)

H.E. Mary Robinson became the first woman President of Ireland (1990-1997). She was the first head of state to visit Somalia after its civil war and famine in 1992 and the first to visit Rwanda after the genocide in 1994.

H.E Mary Robinson was the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), and founder and President of Realizing Rights: the Ethical Globalization Initiative (2002-2010), has spent most of her life as a human rights advocate. Born Mary Bourke in Ballina, County Mayo (1944), the daughter of two physicians, she was educated at the University of Dublin (Trinity College), King’s Inns Dublin and Harvard Law School to which she won a fellowship in 1967.

As an academic (Trinity College Law Faculty 1968-90), legislator (Member of the Irish Senate 1969-89) and barrister (Irish Bar 1967-90, Senior Counsel 1980; called to the English Bar 1973) she sought to use law as an instrument for social change, arguing landmark cases before the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court in Luxembourg as well as in the Irish courts. A committed European, she also served on expert European Community and Irish parliamentary committees.

In 1988 Mary Robinson and her husband founded the Irish Centre for European Law at Trinity College. Ten years later she was elected Chancellor of the University.

The recipient of numerous honors and awards throughout the world including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama, Mary Robinson is a member of the Elders, former Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders and a member of the Club of Madrid.

She serves on several boards including the European Climate Foundation, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, and is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and the American Philosophical Society.

H.E. Robinson returned to live in Ireland, following the planned end of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, in December 2010. She now serves as President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice.

On 7 August 2014, Mary Robinson ended her term as Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to the Great Lakes region of Africa, a role she took up in March 2013.

Mary Robinson is UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Change since July 2014.

Dr Bola Akindele
(Awaiting Approval)

Dr Adebola Akindele holds a B.Agric in Animal Science from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and a Masters Degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Lagos. He holds a Honorary Fellowship of Ravensbourne, Uk and is also a Fellow of both the Institute Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

He is currently the group managing Director for Courtville Business Solutions, a business management consulting that provides, corporate financing, electronic business solution, Automated Vehicle Licenses among other ranges of services. He brings his versatile and vast experience in finance, accounting and banking which spans over twenty years to Courteville.

He is a member of the Nigeria Institute of Management and also sits on the advisory board of the Enterprise and Parliamentary Dialogue International (EPDI), UK. He had his audit internship with KPMG Peat Marwick, Ani Ogunde & Co. between 1987 to 1989 and joined the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 1989 and rising to become a Treasurer/Financial Controller of the ACGS and a Bank Examiner at different times.

In 1993, Bola left the services of CBN to join Oceanic Bank Limited where he variously held the positions of Head of Operations, Chief Inspector, Head (Credit Administration & Loan Recovery). Bola left Oceanic as the Group Head Commercial Banking and moved to Fountain Trust Bank Plc in 2000. While at Fountain Trust Bank, he was at different times the Group Head, Lagos Island Business Group and Group Head, Commercial Banking. He left the services of Fountain Trust as the Divisional Head (Markets). Bola has attended several courses in Nigeria and abroad. He is a member of the Institute of Directors.

Dr Akindele is an alumnus of the International School of Management, Paris, Lagos Business School, London Business School, INSEAD and an active member of World Business Forum and the Commonwealth Business Forum.

Dr Akindele has also attended various seminars and workshops which cut across diverse industries, especially in Financial Services, Human Resources Management and Logistics as well as several functional areas such as Risk Management and Bank Fraud Control & Prevention, Information Technology Systems Audit, Strategic Customer Service Management and Treasury Management.

Mr Youssour Ndour
(Awaiting Approval)

Mr Youssou N’Dour, (born October 1, 1959, Dakar, Senegal), Senegalese singer known for his extraordinary vocal range and for introducing international audiences to mbalax—a Senegalese popular music style that blends Wolof traditional instrumental and vocal forms primarily with Cuban and other Latin American popular genres. He was a member of Star Band, Senegal’s most famous band. He left the band to form his own, Étoile de Dakar in 1979.

By 1995, Mr N’Dour had his own recording label, Jololi . His music genre is traditional Mbalex with influences from hip hop and Cuban rumba. As a soloist he collaborated with prominent artists such as Paul Simon, Sting and Tracy Chapman. He has been hailed as one of the most important figures in world music. In 2012 N’Dour entered the Senegalese presidential race and was disqualified due to a discrepancy in which his application for presidential candidacy lacked the required number of supporting signatures. He was appointed Minister of Tourism and Culture later that same year.

Mr N’Dour’s activism & charity has focused on supporting projects in his home country of Senegal, as well as other countries throughout Africa & his efforts include organizing & performing in a charity concert to support the release of Nelson Mandela in 1985; reworking the Peter Gabriel song, Biko, along with Lou Reed as part of the Amnesty International Human Rights Now! He also ebarked on a Tour in 1998, running his own development projects such as Project Joko throughout Africa, and serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations.

Professor Peter Head CBE FREng FRSA
(Awaiting Approval)

Prof Head is a champion of sustainable development. He established the Ecological Sequestration Trust in 2011. He advocates that changing the way we invest public and private money in the built environment could be made very much more effective if the public and private sectors adopt sustainable development principles.

Peter is a civil and structural engineer who has become a recognised world leader in major bridges (he received an OBE for successfully delivering the Second Severn Crossing as Government Agent), advanced composite technology and now in sustainable development in cities and regions. He has won many awards for his work including the Award of Merit of IABSE, the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Silver Medal and the Prince Philip Award for Polymers in the Service of Mankind.

He joined Arup in 2004 to create and lead their planning and integrated urbanism team which by 2011 had doubled in size. He directed work on the Dongtan Eco City Planning project which was voted by Chinese developers in 2005 as the most influential development project in China.

In July 2008 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in engineering at Bristol University, where he is a visiting Professor in Sustainable Systems Engineering.

In May 2011 he was appointed as a visiting professor in eco-cities at Westminster University. In 2009 he was awarded the Sir Frank Whittle medal of the Royal Academy of Engineering for a lifetime contribution to the well-being of the nation through environmental innovation.

In 2008 he was named by the Guardian Newspaper as one of 50 people that could ‘save the planet’.

He was cited by Time magazine in 2008 as one of 30 global eco-heroes and has been one of CNN’s Principle Voices.

In 2011 he was awarded the CBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to Civil Engineering and the Environment.

Mr Richard Mofe Damijo
(Awaiting Approval)

Mr Richard Mofe Damijo popularly known as RMD, born 6 July 1961 is aNigerian actor and politician. He hailed from Warri Delta State Nigeria where he undergone his primary and secondary education at Anglican Grama School where he was a devoted member of a Drama Group. He also holds a bachelor of Theatre Art from the University of Benin and an LLB Law from the University of Lagos.

After graduating from the university, Mofe-Damijo took part in a television soap opera in the late 80’s called Ripples. Before then, he had a stint with Concord Newspapers and Metro Magazine as a reporter. Out of Bounds was the first film for which he received a writer/producer credit

In 2005 at the maiden edition of the African Movie Academy Awards he won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Mr. Richard Mofe-Damijo is currently the commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State, Nigeria

Fadila Abdulrazaq Ahmad

Miss Ahmad is the Principle Coordinating Assistant at HRH Prince Ebrahim Future Africa Foundation (PEFAF). As part of her wider responsibility, she is also the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Community Investments & Sustainability at Royal Africa Holdings.

She began her career in 2009 as a volunteer with HAWCO NGO, a humanitarian organisation that focuses on women and children based in Kaduna-Nigeria where she served as a Research Assistant and Finance Staff as well as assisting the program coordinator.

Ms. Ahmad began her career at Royal Africa Holdings as a personal assistant to the Chairman where she provided administrative, clerical and liaison support. She later moved to other department functions within HRM department and later Corporate Communication.

Her current role combines the following key responsibilities:

Coordinating projects, liaising with board, management and stakeholders,
Facilitating organisational development.
Delivering annual Corporate Responsibility Report to a best standard practice. This includes: producing the reports, driving improvements in content and communication wherever possible, undertaking an extensive stakeholder engagement process to help define contents, publishing of Annual Report and Accounts
Creating, driving and leading on corporate responsibility and community investment initiatives across Royal Africa Holdings businesses and ensure that they are aligned to core objectives and their value are maximised in supporting.
Maintain industry-leading rankings in worlds leading Sustainability Indexes; and maintaining/securing high rankings in all other major ratings / benchmarks
Delivering the annual economic impact assessment of RAH’s and PEFAF contribution to the Gambia’s economy and society
Entering and achieving high profile awards to generate awareness of CR and community investment programmes

Fadila has also gained extensive experience in corporate responsibility and or sustainability. She built RAH’s CSR capability by developing effective corporate responsibility strategies, aided by her good understanding of RAH businesses which allow her to balance corporate responsibility and strategic priorities in delivering CSR programmes with clear business benefits.

She engages and consistently addresses drivers of discipline, their impact on business and reputation as well as latest thinking on corporate responsibility best standard practice

Fadila is an enthusiastic team member who is driven by excellence and drive to make positive impacts. She is a youth advocate and a peace ambassador for the United Nations Youth Association in Ghana where she has participated in various United Nations Youth developmental projects as a volunteer and co-facilitator in Africa and Europe.

She is a graduate from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, with Bsc. (Hons) Business Administration majors in Accounting. She is currently pursuing a Chartered Accounting Program at ACCA Global.

Global Ambassadors

Didier Drogba
(Awaiting Approval)

Didier Drogba is a renowned footballer who was born on March 11, 1978, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. After immigrating to France at an early age, he became a star soccer player in his adopted country and later led the world-famous Chelsea club to multiple championships. An immensely popular figure in Africa, Drogba has captained the Ivory Coast national team and earned acclaim for his humanitarian effort

He made his first international appearances for the Ivory Coast team in 2002 and by 2007 had scored 28 goals, a record for his country. Named African Footballer of the Year in 2006 and 2009, Drogba captained the Ivory Coast to runner-up finishes in the African Cup of Nations finals in 2006 and 2012.

Drogba catapulted the national team, nicknamed “the Elephants,” into World Cup competition for the first time in 2006, and again in 2010. Although the Elephants failed to advance past the group stage both times, their appearance in soccer’s biggest tournament with the likes of Brazil and England thrilled their devoted fans from Africa.

An immensely popular figure in his home country, Drogba has attempted to use his standing for good purposes. With the Ivory Coast ravaged by civil war in 2006, He led the Elephants in prayers for peace after World Cup qualifying games and organized a team statement calling for an end to the war, efforts that were credited with helping to bring about a cease-fire.

He created the Didier Drogba Foundation in 2007, which, according to its website, “aims to provide financial and material support in both health and education to the African people.” For his humanitarian actions, in 2010 Time magazine included Drogba in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
(Awaiting Approval)

Sylvan Augustus Ebanks-Blake (born 29 March 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Preston North End.

He played youth team football for Cambridge United and Manchester United before making his professional debut in 2004. A spell on loan with Royal Antwerp followed before Ebanks-Blake was transferred to Plymouth Argyle in 2006. During his two seasons with Argyle, he scored 21 goals in the Championship and then joined Wolverhampton Wanderers for £1.5 million, where he won the Championship top scorer award in consecutive seasons to help the club gain promotion to the Premier League.

Ebanks-Blake has represented England at under-21 level, but is eligible to play for Jamaica at senior international level through his parents

Daniel Andre Sturridge (born 1 September 1989) is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool and the England national team as a striker.

Born in Birmingham, Sturridge spent four years in the Aston Villa academy before moving to Coventry City. He then signed for Manchester City in 2003. He continued his development at City and played in two FA Youth Cup finals. He made his first team debut in the 2007–08 season, becoming the only player ever to score in the FA Youth Cup, FA Cup and Premier League in the same season. He left City in 2009 and signed for Chelsea, where he was loaned out to Bolton Wanderers for the second half of the 2010–11 seasons. After a successful spell at Bolton, scoring eight goals in 12 appearances, he returned to Chelsea for the 2011–12 seasons. He left Chelsea to join Liverpool in January 2013.

Sturridge has represented England at all levels. He made 15 appearances and scored four goals for the Under-21 team. He made his debut for England against Sweden on 15 November 2011 and was selected for the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Mike Ezuruonye
(Awaiting Approval)

Mike Ezuruonye is a Nigerian actor. He received two nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Actor in aLeading Role at the African Movie Academy Awards in 2008 and 2009; he earned the accolade of Best Actor in leading role for his part in the film, Unforgivable at the Nigerian Movie Awards in 2014. He is popularly known for Desire (2008), The Mighty One 2 (2007) and Ropes of Fate 2 (2010).

Mike showed keen interest in the world of television from his primary school days. He worked behind the camera writing scripts on clapper board television. His first movie was titled “Broken Marriage”. He became a household name with the movie “Critical Decision” which was not only a huge commercial success but also revealed his talent home and abroad. Though he started his professional career in December 2003, now he has over 80 movies to his credit

Fally Ipupa
(Awaiting Approval)

Fally Ipupa Nsimba, known by his stage name Fally Ipupa, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, philanthropist, guitarist and producer from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

He has been nominated for World Music Award for World’s Best Live Act in 2014., World Music Award for World Best Entertainer of the year 2014, World Music Award for World Best Male Artist in 2014; BET Award for best international Act: Africa in 2011 and , MTV Europe Music Award for Best Africa, Middle East & India Act in 2011.

Jackie Appiah
(Awaiting Approval)
Jackie Appiah is a Ghanaian actress and TV goddess. Jackie Appiah was born on December 5, 1983 in Canada but moved back to Ghana along with her parents in 1993.

Jackie who was a runner up at the Talent Teens Competition started acting at the age of 12 in her local church group. Their performances mostly demonstrated the Christian way of addressing and approaching the public. However, her professional acting career began when she was cast as Enyonam Blagogee in the TV series Things We Do for Love. She later took part in Tentacles, Games People Play; ‘Sun-city’ and many other TV series.

Following her onscreen debut Jackie went on to create a successful acting career including starring in the smash hit movie Beyoncé alongside prominent Ghanaian actors Van Vicker and Nadia Buari, quickly establishing herself as an A list Actress. Jackie’s face has graced many billboards and magazines. Jackie has also cashed in on her A list status as she has endorsed many products and was the spokes person for AID/HIV awareness campaign in Ghana.

For her work as an actress she has received several awards and nominations, including the awards for Best Actress in a Leading Roleat the 2010 Africa Movie Academy Awards and Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2007. She received two nominations for Best Actress in a leading role and Best Upcoming Actress at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2008.

Kolo Toure
(Awaiting Approval)

Kolo Abib Touré is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays for English club Liverpool as a defender. He previously played for Manchester City and Arsenal, where he was a member of the famous ‘invincible’ side of the 2003–04 seasons.

Touré has played for Ivory Coast since 2000. His debut was in April 2000 against Rwanda. He played in all five games for the Ivory Coast as they finished runners up to the hosts in the African Cup of Nations in Egypt in January 2006.

He was named in the 23-man squad taken by coach Henri Michel to the 2006 FIFA World Cup and made his first appearance in a FIFA World Cup on 11 June 2006 in the Ivory Coast’s 2–1 loss to Argentina. He has scored three goals for the Ivory Coast to date, two of them headers against Guinea and Gabon one against Japan, a 20-yard shot from outside the penalty area that flew into the top corner of the goal.

Touré was named for the Ivory Coast for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Touré’s final match for the Ivory Coast was the final of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations where Ivory Coast beat Ghana 9-8 on penalties after the game ended 0-0. He took the seventh penalty for Ivory Coast (which he scored).

On 15 February 2015, he announced his retirement from international duty.

Thierry Henry
(Awaiting Approval)

Thierry Daniel Henry is a retired French professional footballer, who played as aforward. He played for Monaco, Juventus,Barcelona, New York Red Bulls and spent eight years at Arsenal where he is the club’s all time record goalS scorer. At international level he represented France and is his country’s record goals scorer. He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation. Henry has played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer.

It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a world-class player under long-time mentor and coach Arsène Wenger; Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer with 228 goals in all competitions. He won two league titles and three FA Cups with the Gunners; he was runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year twice, was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice, and the FWA Footballer of the Year three times. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final.

In June 2007, after eight years with Arsenal, he transferred to Barcelona and in 2009, he was an integral part of the club’s historic treble when they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. He went on to achieve an unprecedented sextuple by also winning the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. In total, Henry has been named in the UEFA Team of the Year five times. In 2010, he joined the New York Red Bulls of the Major League Soccer, and won the Eastern Conference title with them in 2010. He returned to Arsenal on loan for two months in 2012. In 2013 Henry with the New York Red Bulls won the MLS Supporters’ Shield.

Henry enjoyed success with the French national team, winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000 and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. In October 2007, he surpassed Michel Platini‘s record to become France’s top goal scorer of all time. Henry retired from international football after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Off the pitch, Henry is an active spokesperson against racism in football, partially due to his own experiences. He married English model Nicole Merry in 2003 and had a daughter with her, but they divorced in 2007. Henry was also one of the top commercially marketed footballers; he was ranked ninth in the world in 2006

Carl Ikeme
(Awaiting Approval)

Carl Onora Ikeme is an English footballer who plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers as a goalkeeper. Despite his English birthplace, he has chosen to represent Nigeria at international level. He has been called up to the Super Eagles squad but has not yet played for them.

Born in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, Ikeme progressed through Wolverhampton Wanderers’ academy and made the first team squad in their 2003–04 Premier League season. Due to Matt Murray’s long term injury, he was promoted to the substitutes’ bench for a string of games but never played.

Emmanuel Adebayor
(Awaiting Approval)
Emmanuel “SEA” is a Togolese footballer who plays as a forward for Tottenham Hotspur and the Togo national team. Previous international Premiership Clubs includes Metz, Monaco, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Manchester City. He was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008.

Adebayor represented the Togo national football team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the country’s début, and to date only, appearance at the World Cup. In January 2010, Adebayor was one of the players involved when the Togo team’s bus came under gunfire on the way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, after which he retired from national team duty. In 2013 he returned to the Togo team for the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa, where he helped them to qualify for the quarterfinals.

He is currently Togo’s all-time top goal-scorer with 28 goals. A towering striker, SEA is described as being “Tall, Skilful, Strong in the air and with the ability to Score and create.”

Saido Berahino
(Awaiting Approval)

Saido Berahino is a professionalfootballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion as a striker. Born in Burundi, he represents England at international level.

He spent time out on loan for Football League clubs Northampton Town, Brentford and Peterborough United before breaking into the West Brom squad. His first few matches saw him score a hat-trick against Newport County, before scoring the winning goal at Old Trafford against Manchester United.

Berahino has the all-time third highest goal-tally for the England Under-21 side with 10 goals in 13 appearances, behind Francis Jeffers and Alan Shearer. He was called up for the first time to the Englandsenior squad in November 2014.

Gabriel Agbolanhor
(Awaiting Approval)

Gabriel “Gabby” is an English Footballer of Nigerian-Scottish heritage who plays for Aston Villa as a striker and a winger, and was the team’s interim captain for part of the 2011–12 seasons.

Lewis Hamilton
(Awaiting Approval)

Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the Mercedes AMG team. He is the 2008 and 2014 Formula One World Champion.

Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.In December 1995, at the age of ten, he approached McLaren team principal Ron Dennis at the Autosport Awards ceremony and told him, “I want to race for you one day … I want to race for McLaren.” Less than three years later McLaren and Mercedes-Benz signed him to their Young Driver Support Programme. After winning the British Formula Renault, Formula Three Euroseries, and GP2 championships on his way up the racing career ladder, he drove for McLaren in 2007, making his Formula One debut 12 years after his initial encounter with Dennis. Hamilton’s contract for the McLaren driver development program made him the youngest ever driver to secure a contract which later resulted in a Formula One drive.

Coming from a mixed background, with a black father and white mother, Hamilton is often labelled “the first black driver in Formula One”, although Willy T. Ribbs tested a Formula One car in 1986. He is also the first driver of black African heritage to win a major race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in any discipline.

In his first season in Formula One, Hamilton set numerous records, while finishing second in the 2007 Formula One Championship, just one point behind Kimi Räikkönen. He won the World Championship the following season, becoming the youngest Formula One champion in history at the time. Following his second world title in 2014 he was named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He is the only driver on the current grid to have won at least one race in each season he has competed in to date, with McLaren from 2007 until 2012, and with Mercedes since 2013. He has more race victories than any other British driver in the history of Formula One.

King Mensah
(Awaiting Approval)

King Mensah known as “The Golden Voice of Togo” is one of the most popular musical acts from Togo, West Africa. Though based in Lomé, he regularly records and promotes his albums in Paris, and has embarked on several world tours since 2005. Singing in Mina, Ewe, and French, King Mensah’s sound fuses elements of traditional Ewe music (Agbadza and Akpessé), and Kabye dance-drum music, with funk, reggae and West African Afropop. King Mensah’s lyrical themes are steeped in religion and hopeful encouragement for the orphaned, oppressed and downtrodden.

King Mensah began performing with a ‘ballet’ of traditional Togolese folkloric music at age 9. In his formative years, he was a member of the band ‘Les Dauphins de la Capitale’. He acted with Ki-Yi M’Bock Theatre in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in the early 1990s, and then traveled to Europe, Japan, French Guiana, France and Benin as an actor and singer. In 2005, Mensah founded a philanthropic organization called “Foundation King Mensah” in Togo dedicated to the protection and education of orphans, including an orphanage in Agbodrafo, 25 km east of Lomé

He has won several national and international awards including: Togo Best artist ACCP with UNESCO of Paris in 1997, Best Traditional African Artist, Kora Award in South Africa in 2000; Best Artist – Togo Music Awards in 2000, Best Album (“Mensah, Mensah”)- Togo Music Awards in 2000, Price of excellence – Togo Music Awards in 2000, Best Traditional African Artist – Kora 2004 in South Africa, FIATI Trophy in Lomé in 2005, Best African Social Artist in 2005, Gold TAMANI in Mali in 2005, Trophy of Independence in 2006 – Leader of the Togolese Music and “Officer of the First Order” by the Togolese Head of State in 2008.

UK – AFRICA Summit (United Kingdom Steering Committee)

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UK-AFRICA Economic Summit (Africa Steering Committee)

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