WHO WE ARE
THE STORY OF BATONGA
Batonga was founded by Angélique Kidjo in 2006 with the purpose of transforming the most vulnerable adolescent girls in Africa into powerful women. Angélique’s message is unique – she celebrates Africa as a land of hope and talent and sees its youth, particularly its young women, as an investment for the future.
Determined that all girls and young women must choose their own destiny, Angélique works tirelessly with the Batonga team to develop best practices. The girls she meets see that she is a force for good; that she leads by example – dignified, ambitious, and fearless.
And who better to promote gender equality and female empowerment than Angelique? A five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo is one of the greatest and most unique artists in international music today, a creative force with thirteen albums to her name.Time Magazine has called her “Africa’s premier diva.” The BBC has included her in its list of the continent’s 50 most iconic figures, and in 2011 The Guardian listed her as one of their Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World. Forbes Magazine has ranked Angelique as the first woman in their list of the Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa. …She was also the first African woman to be appointed as an international Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. Today she brings her voice to the world stage to advocate for change on the ground with a platform and legitimacy that is unique, credible, and compelling.
With strong support from both the creative industry and the social impact sector, Batonga addresses the pressing issues faced by adolescent girls and young women most in-need on the African continent. We focus on dismantling the norms and barriers holding them back, and help them transform their potential into the power to lead healthy, independent, safe, and fulfilling lives.
Angélique KIDJO was the first woman to be listed among “The 40 Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa” by Forbes Magazine.
MISSION
The Batonga Foundation equips the hardest-to-reach girls and young women with the knowledge and skills they need to be agents of change in their own lives and communities
We find the girls who are often left behind by traditional development initiatives and government services. We work with communities to transform the potential of these girls into power.
VISION
Batonga envisions a safer, healthier, and more equitable world in which all girls and women can thrive.
We accompany young women as they imagine, build, and implement their income generating plans and professional development strategies to reach economic resilience and independence.
We advocate for transformations on the continent, and help strengthen movements of activists, leaders and change-makers who are challenging the status quo and working towards equality.
OUR TEAM
CODOU DIAW
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
GLOBAL TEAM
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Codou Diaw has extensive experience and unwavering commitment to women and girls' education and empowerment and brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of strategic leadership to further advance Batonga Foundation's mission.
Codou has over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, holding senior leadership positions at renowned organizations such as the Mastercard Foundation, the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research, the Forum of African Women Educationalists and Japan International Cooperation Agency. Throughout her career, Codou has demonstrated a deep understanding of the challenges faced by marginalized and off-track female youth, and she has worked tirelessly to create meaningful and sustainable change.
Codou's expertise in strategic planning, resource mobilization, grant management, and fostering strategic partnerships will be instrumental in driving the Batonga Foundation's growth and impact. Her visionary leadership and dedication to empowering girls and young women align perfectly with the organization's core values and mission to equip the hardest-to-reach adolescent girls and young women with knowledge and skills to be agents of change in their own lives. Her strategic guidance will further strengthen the Foundation's programs, expand its reach, and deepen its impact in the communities it serves.
WENCELAS DJOKPE
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM
QUALITY AND PARTNERSHIPS, MEN AND BOYS ENGAGEMENT
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Wenceslas Djokpé is a dedicated professional and specialist in project management for more than 15 years. From August 2016 to May 2022, Wenceslas held the position of Benin Country Director of the Batonga Foundation, coordinating Batonga’s programs in Benin towards the goal of empowering women and vulnerable adolescent girls.
As of July 2022, Wenceslas continues fighting for gender equality and girls’ empowerment throughout his position as Senior Manager for the Men and Boys Engagement initiative at global level to support both Benin and Senegal programs.
ARNAUD HUGUES MICKOLOS
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS (AT INTERIM)
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Anciennement Directeur Administratif et Financier dans plusieurs sociétés sénégal, Hugues Arnaud est Analyste financier et spécialiste en analyse de données de masse (Métadonnées) sous Power Query et Power Pivot.
Arnaud Hugues est également spécialisé en contrôle interne et contrôle de gestion par l'élaboration d'outils personnalisés et automatisés d'analyse de données, de fiscalité et de gestion de la trésorerie.
CONSTANT ODOUNFA
GLOBAL MEL MANAGER
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Constant Odounfa holds a Master's degree in Mathematics, Economics and Statistics, from the African School of Economics (ASE), and a Bachelor's degree in Planning and Applied Economics from the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC/ENEAM).
He previously worked as a Project Manager and Monitoring & Evaluation Officer in various national and international organizations, his most recent experience being with the United Nations Program for Development (UNDP) in Benin, in the position of Monitoring & Evaluation Expert. He also has extensive experience as a member of civil society, advocating for the rights of the most disadvantaged, in particular in favor of the access to quality education for children from marginalized communities. His work promoting education as a tool for peace, social justice and equity has been recognized and awarded by UNESCO through the EIU Best Practices program of the Asia-Pacific Center of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU). APCEIU has identified in 2022 one of the projects designed and implemented by Constant, the "Art for Peace and Environment" project, as one of the three best interventions at the global level that promote Education for International Understanding.
BENIN TEAM
NATACHA AGBAHOUNGBA
INTERIM COUNTRY MANAGER AND PROGRAM MANAGER WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
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A lawyer and project manager by training, Florence is dynamic and very committed to gender equality and the protection of the rights of women and girls. In twelve years of professional experience in development project management in Benin, Florence has worked with CARE International Benin-Togo and several national organizations on various themes such as: women’s and youth leadership, reproductive health of adolescent girls and boys, the fight against sexual and gender-based violence, women’s empowerment, and the promotion of women’s and girls’ right to land ownership.
NADINE KY AGOSSOU HUMAN RESOURCES & SAFEGUARDING OFICER
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With a DESS in Business Law, a certificate in Digital HR and a diploma in HR Management as a crisis from the International Management Institute in Israel,
Nadine KY AGOSSOU has over 12 years' proven professional experience in Banking, Construction and Legal, in Benin and Africa.
Recognized for her rigor, professionalism, attentive listening and proven advice, she has held various positions of responsibility in Human Resources Management, general administration, legal advice, etc...
Driven by empathy and a passion for helping the weakest, she joined the dynamic team at the Batonga Foundation where she holds the position of Senior HR & Safeguarding Officer, to make her contribution to this noble mission of promoting the rights of adolescent girls and young women in Africa.
FLORENCE BIO IDRISSOU
PROGRAM MANAGER ADOLESCENT GIRLS LEADERSHIP
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Natacha is a dynamic young professional from Benin who is passionate about the financial empowerment of women. As Batonga’s Program Manager for Women’s Economic Empowerment, Natacha works to enhance the income generating activities of the SONAFA Clubs, manage the Young Women Business Circles program in Benin, and promote financial inclusion throughout the communities Batonga supports.
Prior to her role at Batonga, Natacha worked as CEO of Moringa Social Venture where she promoted Moringa farming and nutrition education on the use of Moringa and other food items to enrich children foods She was previously the Director of the SHE’S GREAT project, a project financed by State Department/Global Women Initiative (GWI) through IREX. She was also a consultant at IREX, a U.S nonprofit.
BRICE AHOGNONVI
PROGRAM MANAGER RADIO DIGITAL AND PODCASTS
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Brice is a creative and results-oriented leader with over 15 years experience in the international development sector. In his current role as Training Manager for the Batonga Foundation, Brice works to develop and implement lessons for the SONAFA Clubs as well as provide them with necessary training materials and resources.
Brice is a graduate of the International Management Institute (IM) and holds a Master’s degree in Administrative and Human Resources Management. Prior to working at Batonga, he held various positions in Africare, including as Human Resources Manager for the PILP Project Implementation. Brice also worked for 8 years at the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help/IFESH, as a Program Assistant for the Primary Education Teacher Training (PETT) project funded by USAID. In this role, he worked to build the capacity of the national Pedagogical Network members and implement a new curriculum in Benin’s primary schools.
WILFRID NOUGBODOHOUE
DRIVER
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Wilfrid discovered a passion for driving and obtained his category B driver’s license about 10 years ago. He was previously a driver in an NGO and served in a company as a driver-manager. For about three years, Wilfrid has been a driver for the BATONGA team on the different field activities but as a service provider. He formally joined Batonga in May 2022.
ARIEL FRANCK MENSAH
FINANCE OFFICER
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Ariel Franck Mensah is a highly motivated and enthusiastic accounting professional. Since August 2016, he has been the Accounting Manager for Batonga. In this role, he works to execute all accounting and financial tasks for the Benin country office and manages accounting and financial policies and procedures.
Born and raised in Cotonou, Benin, Ariel Franck Mensah pursued his studies in administrative and accounting management in Senegal after obtaining his secondary school diploma. After three years of studies at the Superior Institute of Management (ISM) at Dakar, Senegal, he obtained his Superior Management Diploma (DSG).He later obtained a Master’s degree in Audit and Management Control at the SupdeCo School of Commerce. During his career, he has developed professional skills by collaborating on audit assignments with the consulting firm, SEN PROJECT in Senegal, and as a customer manager at PADME, a microfinance institution in Benin. Ariel has also worked as the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Development where he developed more competencies in the control and verification of spending carried out within the public administration, specifically in the Ministry of Plan.
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Olabusi ADIMI BIAOU is a dynamic and proactive young woman who started her professional career after graduating in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Bilingual English-French Translation in 2014, as she is very passionate about the English language.
During her professional career rich with a decade of experience, she has held several positions in different organizations in Benin. Before joining BATONGA, she held the position of Administrative and Financial Assistant for USAID’s Reinforcement of the Community package of high Impact Interventions project at DEDRAS NGO. In this position, she contributed to the administrative, financial and accounting, material and human resources management.
OLABUSI ADIMI BIAOU
ADMIN AND LOGISTICS OFFICER
SENEGAL TEAM
AIDA GUEYE SEYDI
SENEGAL COUNTRY MANAGER
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Trained as an International Organization Manager, Aida Gueye Seydi has about 10 years of experience in the development sector with a focus on the promotion of children's rights, specifically girls' rights. She has extensive experience in youth engagement and institutional strengthening of civil society organizations. She has worked as a Regional Program Supervisor at Plan International's Regional Office for West and Central Africa. A human rights advocate with a passion for feminist leadership, she joined Batonga as Country Manager in Senegal.
NDEYE ABSA GUEYE NDIAYE
PROGRAM MANAGER WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
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Trained as a Development Project Manager, Absa has about 10 years of experience in community development and microfinance. She’s focused on Women Empowerment and poverty alleviation. Absa recently joined the Batonga Office in Senegal as the Women Economic Empowerment Program Manager.
Prior to her actual role, she worked as a Regional Microfinance Program Manager and a Senior Program officer for 8 African countries with The Hunger Project Global Office and the SEEP Network. She dedicated her work to inclusive finance and project management. She managed and worked with microfinance institutions and associations through programs in Senegal and other African countries.
She is a trainer on topics related to Client Protection Principles, Social Performance Management and financial education. In her previous experiences, Absa worked in different NGOs and programs to support rural communities through microfinance. She is familiarized with project environments and the microfinance sector.
Absa hold a Project Management diploma in Senegal and a Masters degree in Urban Planning and Policy Design at the Polytechnic of Milan (Italy).
FATOU MBENGUE
ADMIN & LOGISTICS OFFICER
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Fatou is a management graduate specializing in administration and logistics, with a Master 1 in Business Management, I gained solid experience in NGOs where I worked for four years. Currently in charge of administration and logistics, she has developed skills in purchasing and administrative management. Her dedication to the causes of women and children makes her a key player in the realization of projects in Batonga.
OUMOU MBAYE
PROGRAM MANAGER ADOLESCENT GIRLS LEADERSHIP
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Mme Oumou Mbaye est Juriste, titulaire de Master II en Droit Public option Relations Internationales, passionnée des questions des droits des enfants, militante des droits des femme et des filles, en promouvant la déconstruction des normes sociales négatives qui empêchent le développement de leur leadership. J’ai acquis une bonne connaissance des méthodes et outils dans le domaine du plaidoyer pour l’autonomisation des femmes avec une approche intersectionnelle à travers diverses expériences. D’une part avec les Organisations non gouvernementales, avec Plan International Sénégal et Energy 4 Impact comme Responsable Genre et Plaidoyer, Coordonnatrice projet sur le leadership féminin, point focal engagement des jeunes et protection de l’enfant. Ces différentes positions m’ont amené à appuyer ces organisations à intégrer le genre sur les projets et programmes, à coordonner des campagnes de Plaidoyer, des études, des émissions radios, des focus groups, des renforcements de capacité en leadership féministe, genre et plaidoyer, en sauvegarde et protection des enfants et des jeunes, notamment dans un environnement tenant des diversités.
Aujourd’hui, c’est un réel plaisir de rejoindre l’équipe Batonga pour amplifier la voix et le leadership des filles les plus vulnérables au Sénégal au sein de leurs communautés.
ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO
WEST AFRICAN SINGER, SONGWRITER AND UNICEF INTERNATIONAL GOODWILL AMBASSADOR
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Three-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo is one of the greatest and most unique artists in international music today, a creative force with thirteen albums to her name. Time Magazine has called her “Africa’s premier diva”. The BBC has included her in its list of the continent’s 50 most iconic figures, and in 2011 The Guardian listed her as one of their Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World. Forbes Magazine has ranked Angélique as the first woman in their list of the Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa. She is the recent recipient of the prestigious 2015 Crystal Award given by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and the 2016 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award.
As a performer, her striking voice, stage presence and fluency in multiple cultures and languages have won respect from her peers and expanded her following across national borders. Kidjo has taken the West African traditions of her Beninese childhood and cross-pollinated them with her myriad musical influences, spanning R&B, funk, jazz, gospel, pop, Latin, reggae, and so much more. Along with her own wide-ranging catalog, Kidjo has collaborated with virtually every major artist of the era, including Bono, Peter Gabriel, John Legend, Gilberto Gil, Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews, Philip Glass, Ziggy Marley, Henri Salvador, Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove, Dr. John, Cassandra Wilson, Branford Marsalis, Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, and the San Francisco Symphony, among many others.
Her star-studded album DJIN DJIN won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Album in 2008, and her album OYO was nominated for the same award in 2011. In January 2014 Angélique’s first book, a memoir titled Spirit Rising: My Life, My Music (Harper Collins), and her twelfth album, EVE (Savoy/429 Records), were released to critical acclaim. EVE later went on to with the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album in 2015.
In 2015, Kidjo released Sings with the Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg. The visionary songwriter and vocalist teams with the ensemble’s renowned conductor and composer Gast Waltzing to create an historic work that beautifully blends the classical music traditions of Europe and the powerful rhythmic excitement of the sounds of her native land. SINGS has garnered Angélique her 8th Grammy win (for Best World Music Album). Angélique has gone on to perform this genre-bending work with several international orchestras and symphonies including the Bruckner Orchestra, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the Philharmonie de Paris. Her collaboration with Philip Glass, title IFÉ: Three Yorùbá Songs, made its US debut to a sold-out concert with the San Francisco Symphony in June 2015.
On May 5th 2017, Kidjo presented a full-length performance of Talking Heads Milestone album Remain In Light at Carnegie Hall in NYC. The performance by Kidjo and her band, complete with powerful new arrangements, earned her critical acclaim by media outlets like The New York Times and The New Yorker. The full length reimagining of Remain In Light, produced by Grammy Award winner Jeff Bhasker (Jay-Z, Kanye West, Marc Ronson, Fun), will be released at a later date.
Angélique is a committed philanthropist and champion of women and children’s rights around the world. She cofounded the Batonga Foundation in 2006, which equips Benin’s most vulnerable girls with knowledge and skills they need to become agents of change in their communities and in their own lives. Growing up in Benin, Angélique was one of few girls who had the opportunity to pursue an education. She invented the word “Batonga” as a defiant response to classmates and critics who told her girls did not belong in school. Today, the Batonga Foundation takes a data-driven approach to foster change by creating a new paradigm in which all girls are valued and where their economic, social and civic potential is expanded. She also travels the world advocating on behalf of children in her capacity as a UNICEF and OXFAM Goodwill Ambassador.
MARY LOUISE COHEN
FOUNDING PARTNER, PHILLIPS & COHEN LLP
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Mary Louise, a graduate of Harvard Law School, is a founding partner of Phillips & Cohen LLP and has represented whistleblowers for more than 25 years in lawsuits brought to remedy fraud against the United States. Her firm has recovered more than $12 billion for state and federal governments in cases filed under the False Claims Act, and Law Dragon recently named her as one of the 32 most influential lawyers of the last decade. In 2007, Mary Louise and Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo created the Batonga Foundation to support adolescent girls in girls in Africa. In 2010, she co-founded the Aslan Project to improve survival rates for children with cancer in the developing world. She also serves on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Board for UNICEF-USA.
Mary Louise and her husband, Bruce Cohen, were 2014 Fellows with the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative. Based on their work at Harvard, they founded Talent Beyond Boundaries to develop a new labor mobility solution for refugees by connecting skilled refugees with global talent gaps.
ALETA WILLIAMS
CHAIR, MANAGING DIRECTOR, GOPA GROUP US
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Aleta J. Williams leads GOPA Group’s efforts to expand its work in the U.S. market and deliver on its commitment to achieving sustainable results.
Williams brings more than 25 years of international development experience to GOPA Group US and has deep expertise working with the US government. She brings extensive experience in the area of strategic partnerships, resource mobilization and management.
Before joining GOPA US, Williams served several years as Director of Global Business Development at FHI 360, a leading USAID contractor, where she significantly grew FHI 360’s portfolio and sales. In addition, Williams led FHI 360’s strategic expansion into the UK market, managing an acquisition and establishment of a UK subsidiary. She began her work at the nonprofit as the Director of Partnerships where she led efforts to develop and expand innovative partnerships with public and private sector partners.
Williams has held several leadership roles in both the private and nonprofit sectors. In London, she launched GRM International’s (now Palladium Consulting) new education practice and served as its first director for global education. For the U.S. Agency for International Development, Williams provided policy recommendations and managed country-level activities under President George W. Bush’s US$600 million Africa Education Initiative, as well as a US$200 million investment in 21 bilateral education partnerships. For President Bill Clinton’s Education for Development and Democracy Initiative, Williams managed a portfolio that included projects on information and communications technologies, democracy and governance, and economic development.
Williams began her career at McKinsey & Company, where she was an information associate and researcher covering general practices and the energy sector. Her diverse professional experience includes producing an award-winning documentary series, Readers are Leaders, and working under the tutelage of civil rights leader, Dr. Dorothy I. Height.
Williams is a staunch advocate for women and girls education and empowerment. She serves as Chair of the Board of the Batonga Foundation, founded by Angélique Kidjo in 2006 with the purpose of transforming the most vulnerable adolescent girls in Africa into powerful women. She also serves as a board member for UNICEF USA, mid-Atlantic.
Williams has a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a Master in Public Administration from George Washington University. She is the proud mother of a daughter, Denver.
JEAN HEBRAIL
SONGWRITER, ARRANGER, COMPOSER
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Jean Hebrail has been Angelique Kidjo’s life partner and composer since her breakthrough album Logozo. After finishing a Masters degree in Philosophy at the Sorbonne University in France, Jean met Angelique in a Paris Jazz School where he was studying bass. He served as Angelique’s musical director and bass player for many years before focusing on arranging and composing most of her albums.
Jean has also written many songs used in movies, commercials and video games.
Since 2002, he has been coordinating Angelique’s charitable work with UNICEF, OXFAM and other organizations.
KAREN RICHARDSON
POLITICAL AND ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN STRATEGIST
OUR BOARD
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Karen Richardson has almost 20 years of experience in complex, multidisciplinary leadership roles that have required extensive team-building/leadership acumen, multi-platform crisis, tactical and strategic communications skills, and ongoing innovation at the intersection of public and media perception of high-profile national conversations. A public affairs professional with expertise in foreign and domestic policy issues, she provides clients with strategic counsel on social impact issues and campaigns, strategic communications and outreach, political strategy, long-term strategic planning, traditional and digital organizing, stakeholder engagement and coalition building, and government.
An eight-year veteran of the Obama Administration, Karen served as Associate Director & Public Engagement Advisor for the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs from 2009 to 2014, before being appointed a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U. S. Department of State. In 2017, Karen transitioned to the private sector, becoming a senior consultant for RALLY communications in LA during the start-up phase of the seminal Time’s Up campaign, where she orchestrated operational and strategic planning, and public messaging for this global movement. Her clients are in a variety of sectors, such as the nonprofit and entertainment arenas, including the Grammys, where she worked with the President of the Recording Academy and its Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion.
Karen is a focused, collaborative and astute professional with exceptional strategic insights that allow her to deliver game-changing, cross-sector results with both national and global impacts. She is a proud graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science (Master of Science), Howard University School of Law (JD), and Howard University (BA), and she currently resides in Los Angeles with her family.
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Romuald Hazoumè is one of Africa’s foremost contemporary artists and a master of diverse forms of media. Hazoumè creates masks, photographs, paintings, sculptures and multi-media installations that include sound and video components. Using the ubiquitous plastic petrol-can as his unmistakable iconic signature, Hazoumè, during his artistic career, has created a series of monumental installations that act as metaphors of African place, history, and identity. Whether taking aim at endemic political corruption in Africa or addressing the global indifference compounding environmental disasters, Hazoumè creates visually striking works capable of compressing bewildering details into complex, yet nuanced metaphors that contain many powerful ideas. Hazoumè was the Arnold Bode prize-winner at documenta 12, and his work has been shown in major international galleries and museums, including the British Museum, London, the Metropolitan, New York, GOMA, Brisbane, NMAfA, Washington DC and most recently the Kunsthaus Graz, Austria.
ROMUALD HAZOUMÈ
CONTEMPORARY VISUAL
ARTIST, BENIN
COLIN CLARKE
MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CHAIRMAN OF JOHANNESBURG AND RWANDAN STOCK EXCHANGE
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Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman, Investment Committee, of Johannesburg and Rwandan Stock Exchange listed RH Bophelo Limited (RHBL).
Colin Clarke is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Benguela Global Fund Managers (BGFM), a South African and European asset management firm that has a balanced fund, equities, hedge, and fixed income products.
Former, Chairman of the Investment Committee and member of the Audit Committee of the Sizwe Medical Fund (SMF). A former Lead Independent Director and member of the Board of Directors, Audit and Risk Committee as well as Chairman of the Compensation Committee for Atlatsa Group Resources a dual-listed (JSE an TSX), platinum group minerals company.
Formerly Chairman of the Board of Directors for ACPI Investment Managers South Africa, a subsidiary of London based asset management firm operating in the fixed income, equities, special situations and private equities spaces. Colin has extensive experience with listed, and multinational organisations including Amoco Oil (now BP Amaco), where he served as legal counsel in Western Areas (acquisitions department), the African America Institute (AAI), where he served as the Deputy Director for Trade and Investment, the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) in South Africa, where he headed the group operations as well as asset management, marketing and communications, strategy and planning. He has also served as the Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund’s (SAEDF) as legal counsel, as well as being a former partner in the Sloan Financial Groups’s New Africa Investment Fund (NAIF) both Southern Africa regional private equity funds.
Colin was also a Director of the Africa America Institutes Africa Regional Assistance Electoral Fund (AREF), where he set up the technical interventions for the establishment of reporting on the results of a number of Africa’s first democratic elections. He has also served as a Chief Investment Officer for Sishen Iron Ore’s Community Development Trust, a community-based trust established utilizing the proceeds of the Sishen Iron Ore mine for the benefit and upliftment of those communities that surround the mine through investing in economically viable projects. He has also lead and directed the special projects division of Lonrho Africa Plc, where he established a water bottling company in Mozambique.
Lastly, Colin holds a BA degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a JD From the University of Denver School of Law and an MBA from Said Business School Oxford University, England.
JOEL H. SAMUELS
DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
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Joel Samuels is Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Professor of Law, and Executive Director of the Rule of Law Collaborative at the University of South Carolina (USC). With more than 25 years of experience working on development issues across Sub-Saharan Africa, Joel joined the Batonga Foundation Board of Directors in January 2017.
In his position as Dean, Joel manages the university’s biggest college, supporting faculty and staff to provide students an incomparable educational experience. As Executive Director of the Rule of Law Collaborative, Joel oversees programming focused on rule of law development across the globe. In addition, he regularly lectures to U.S. Government officials from the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense on rule of law development abroad.
Joel has also worked at the World Bank in both Washington (in the Office of the Vice President for Africa) and in Zimbabwe (at the African Capacity Building Foundation) focusing on capacity building in economic policy analysis and development management. During that time, he was a member of the World Bank team that drafted the Initiative for Capacity Building in Africa, a cornerstone document in the World Bank’s initial efforts in that arena. During his time in private law practice at Covington & Burling, Joel was involved in the ad hoc arbitration of the Eritrea-Ethiopia boundary dispute and led the team that drafted a new Civil Service Code for Eritrea.
In 2021, the University of South Carolina honored Joel with the Breakthrough Leadership in Research Award that celebrates senior faculty who inspire excellence in leadership through mentoring and collaborating with colleagues across disciplines. Selected by the USC School of Law student body as the Outstanding Faculty Member for Teaching Excellence in 2007 and 2016, Joel received his A.B., magna cum laude, in politics from Princeton University in 1994. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School in 1999, where he was a Clarence Darrow Scholar. While at Michigan, he also earned a master’s degree in Russian and East European Studies.
NADIA MENSAH -ACOGNY FOUNDING PARTNER ACOSPHERE LTD
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Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Acosphere Ltd, Nadia Mensah-Acogny is an expert in global communications, interpersonal skill, the art of public speaking and cross-cultural communication. She has worked for both the Central Bank of West African Countries (BCEAO) as communications manager and as a consultant for various United Nations Agencies in Syria, France, Greece and Kenya. Nadia has 3 MAs in Communications, Political science and Sociology from the University of Sorbonne.
Within Acosphere, Nadia trains internationally for clients and works regularly in West, North and Central Africa. She is fluent in a total of 9 languages (Mina, French, English, Italian, Spanish, Fon, Wolof, German, Arabic), has basic knowledge of Portuguese and Pidgin and trains in French, English, Italian and Spanish).
Nadia is an absolute art lover who has been collecting African art since the age of 19. She is a columnist at Forbes Afrique where she very often writes about contemporary African art. She has been advising and supporting many major African contemporary artists and designer during the last 35 years. She has a wealth of knowledge about the creative industries in general and has been on the Board of Trustees of the Africa Centre, London for the past 6 years. The daughter of an artist mother, Nadia draws, paints, writes, dances and sings. She is a member of her church choir in London.
Nadia Mensah Acogny is also passionate about gender matters and she is an Advisory Council Member of Women In Africa Initiative who have now held 3 summits in Marrakech. Author of the Forbes Afrique annual report on the 100 Most Influential Women in Africa which puts forward amazing African women every year, she has interviewed H.E. Dr Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, President of the Republic of Mauritius, in May 2016.
She is a sought after speaker, moderator and MC for UN agencies and world re-known institutions. She has also collaborated with Vox Africa Television where she co-presented the monthly press review for 18 months and was invited as a commentator several times.
Nadia Mensah Acogny has been interviewed by and featured in media countless times.
She has been awarded the ASKE Trophy for African Women in Leadership in Cotonou, Benin in December 2014 for her lifetime achievements. Among fellow recipients was world famous singer Angélique Kidjo. She was also co-recipient with her partner Gilles Acogny of the Trophée Jeader in Dakar, Senegal, in November 2017 and the Trophée ASCOM in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire in July 2018. Both prizes rewarded the excellent performances achieved by Acosphere. Finally, Nadia Mensah Acogny was listed among the most inspirational women in the African Diaspora in March 2018. She is also a Laureate of the Tropics Magazine 500 African Doers Powerlist 2021, 700 African Doers Powerlist 2022, 250 Women Trailblazers Powerlist 2024 and 700 African Doers Powerlist 2024.
KATRINA SHARKEY
ADVISER TO VICE PRESIDENT FOR WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA, WORLD BANK
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Katrina Sharkey is currently Adviser to the World Bank’s Vice President for West and Central Africa. A seasoned development professional with 35 years of experience in international economic development, Katrina joined the Batonga Foundation Board in July 2020. She brings to the table leadership skills, and a track record in strategy development, implementation and governance. She also brings a passion for strengthening the voice and agency of girls and young women, especially those in fragile and insecure environments.
Katrina was World Country Manager to Benin from 2015 to 2019. Previously, she served as Deputy to the Directors for the Bank’s programs in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Niger, Mauritania and Togo, and also worked in country management for the Bank’s programs in Central Africa. Her work on Poverty Reduction Strategies in low income countries exposed her to the challenges and economic opportunities for vulnerable populations across Central and East Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. She has been active in the design and implementation of public expenditure and governance operations in the Maghreb, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Katrina has occupied a number of corporate World Bank roles, including the delivery of programs on the management of transition and public investment – following the fall of the Berlin Wall - for young leaders from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and public sector performance in Portuguese-speaking African countries. She also served in the Bank’s Corporate Secretariat with responsibilities including facilitation of relations between Management and the Executive Board.
Katrina began her career as a consultant researcher with the Energy Directorate General of the European Commission in Brussels, where she worked on EU energy cooperation with the People’s Republic of China, Brazil, Ecuador and Turkey.
Katrina has an MA Moderatorship (Honours) degree in French and Spanish and a Higher Diploma in Education, both from Trinity College, Dublin, and a Postgraduate in Business Administration from the Solvay Business School, Université Libre de Bruxelles. She is a graduate of the Program for Senior Managers in Government from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Katrina was decorated in 2019 as Commander of the National Order of Benin by the country’s Grand Chancellor of the National Order of Benin. She is the recipient of World Bank corporate awards for outstanding achievement in strategy and teamwork, including in the context of the institution’s Ebola Emergency Response. Katrina is the proud mother of an accomplished daughter, Imogen. She has full working competence in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, with intermediate competence in Russian.
MINIA MIKAEL-DEBASS
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, FHI 360
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Minia Mikael-Debass has almost 20 years of experience in international development with a focus on Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. She is currently a cost and pricing manager at FHI 360 where she oversees compliant cost proposal development and provides programmatic and operational support to multi-million-dollar projects, both domestically and in over 60 countries. She leads her team in optimizing organizational sales and negotiations with a range of clients on inputs and financial compliance that affect the outcome of million-dollar opportunities. From The World Bank to Counterpart International, she has also worked within various government, foundation and private sector funding mechanisms.
Mikael-Debass’ extensive work on Africa includes projects ranging from sustainable tourism in the Malian region of Bandiagara to education curriculum feasibility studies in francophone Africa. She also spearheaded meetings with local NGOs and government agencies for a USAID-funded pilot project to develop leadership curriculum for middle school students in Senegal’s Casamance region.
Her global footprint, proven leadership skills, strong communication to high ethical and professional standards, and flexibility as well as adaptability to changing socioeconomic conditions puts her in a unique position to apply her knowledge seamlessly to any scenario.
Born and raised in Cote d’Ivoire and Switzerland to Eritrean parents, Mikael-Debass speaks fluent English, French, Amharic, Tigrinya and is proficient in Italian. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Sociology from the University of Virginia and a master’s in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University. She is also an interior design enthusiast.