Seth Appiah-Kubi
DIRECTOR
Seth Appiah-Kubi has worked in Nature Conservation and Natural Resource Management for the past 15 years. He has gained rich experience in mainstreaming nature into economic decisions, monitoring corporate biodiversity performance and developing corporate-level biodiversity strategic plan. His vast experience in Natural Resource Governance from the community level to the international level where protocols are made, underlines his deep knowledge in sustainability of natural resource use and its conservation, social equity and sustainable and equitable shared resources.
His involvement in developing effective livelihood opportunities to anchor strong conservation initiatives underlines his expertise in Green Value Chain development, promotion of green market opportunities and Green Value Chain interventions that support the creation of enabling environment for green investments and business development.
Seth has good knowledge of both the international and local business environments having previously held positions in cross-functional levels in manufacturing, banking and financial services and academic industries. He has worked at Barclays Bank as Operations Manager and a faculty member at the Business Faculty of Pentecost University, Ghana, teaching Investments and Banking. He is a Director of ESN. He holds a PhD in Finance and MBA in International Business and a chartered management accountant with Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).
Daryl Bosu
DIRECTOR
Daryl Bosu is a seasoned professional, with multidisciplinary expertise in the fields of environmental sustainability and natural resource management, with a wealth of experience ranging from terrestrial carbon accounting to pioneering green business modelling. Over his imperssive 18-year career, Mr. Bosu has made invaluable contributions, both nationally and internationally, that have left an indelible mark on the landscape of sustainable development. His expertise has been pivotal in the creation of nationally-oriented green business and low emissions development initiatives, effectively shaping the sustainable utilization of resources and addressing critical socio-ecological concerns in Ghana.
Notable among his achievements are his instrumental roles in spearheading key initiatives. He played a crucial part in the inception of the Ghana Cocoa Forest Emissions Reduction Program (GCFRP), a groundbreaking effort aimed at reducing emissions while safeguarding cocoa production. Additionally, Mr. Bosu has been an influential force in the development of the Shea Landscape Emissions Reduction Program (GSLERP), which focuses on mitigating emissions within the shea landscape. His contributions extend to the development of a traceable sustainable charcoal production model, promoting environmentally responsible practices while supporting local livelihoods. Moreover, his green development-oriented acumen has been pivotal in devising alternative innovative financing mechanisms towards greening Ghana’s ambitious Integrated Aluminium Agenda. Beyond these achievements, Mr. Bosu possesses extensive knowledge and practical experience in circular economy practices and nature-based solutions, ensuring that sustainability principles are seamlessly integrated into business operations. Complementing his hands-on expertise are his academic credentials, including an LLB in Law from GIMPA, postgraduate certificates in Conservation Finance and Green Business Modelling and Finance from the Nyenrode Business Universiteit in the Netherlands, and an advanced certificate in Terrestrial Carbon Accounting from the University of California San Diego, USA. His educational journey commenced with a first degree in Natural Resource Management from the KNUST in Kumasi.
Jan Kamstra
CONSULTANT
Jan Kamstra is a highly motivated environmental specialist with a long track record of championing conservation initiatives in the Global South, primarily focused on Africa. As senior conservation specialist for IUCN NL, he worked extensively with national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government entities and private sector.
His expertise spans various disciplines, ranging from applied research on endangered species, promoting protected areas, supporting environmental impact assessments, providing environmental guidance to local communities, and engaging in landscape restoration efforts. Jan possesses expertise in nature-based solutions for addressing climate change and approaches solutions from a landscape perspective.
He has pioneered innovative strategies that harness the power of nature to address environmental challenges. These strategies encompass ecosystem restoration, sustainable land management, and biodiversity conservation, aligning with local community needs. Throughout Jan Kamstra’s career, he has gained extensive knowledge of diverse ecosystems and an understanding of the complexity of engaging stakeholders in comprehensive environmental solutions. Jan is known for his cultural sensitivity, analytical thinking, and ability to foster collaboration among stakeholders.
Apart from project development assessment, management, and guidance, Jan demonstrates exceptional proficiency in fundraising and orchestrating initiatives within extensive programs, many of which have garnered support from reputable institutions like the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the GIZ.
Jan holds an MSc in Biology from Wageningen University & Research (WUR).
Prosper Antwi
CONSULTANT
Prosper Kwame Antwi is an environmental consultant with more than 18 years working experience- working in a multi-disciplinary environmental, socio-economical setting, and committed to helping address complex challenges by applying innovative solutions that create environmental, social and economic value today and for future generations.
He holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science (Major: Environmental System Analysis, Minor: Environmental Policy) from Wageningen University and Research Center, Netherlands. Currently, he is about completing his PhD. from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.
Pertinent to his work in Sustainable Environment, livelihoods and Agricultural Development Practice, he is a leading provider of expert entrepreneurial mentoring, project design and implementation, capacity building, compliance and management support to a range of actors (local and international). Accordingly, he has served as a Short-term Environmental consultant for the World Bank Group and GIZ. He has also been the environmental and sustainable livelihood specialist of A Rocha Ghana (ARG) on most projects with key collaborators such as- IUCN-France, IUCN-Netherlands, French Embassy, Canada Embassy, Leventis foundation, Commonwealth foundation, A Rocha International, UNESCO, etc. Under the different collaborative contracts, he has contributed to ensuring that, ARG delivers on-request technical services to best achieve the highest quality implementation of assignment that meets environmental and socio- economic standards.
Jacqueline Mbawine
CONSULTANT
Jacqueline Mbawine has over 13 years of experience in the Conservation and Natural Resource Management space gained from working with diverse levels of corporate, research and rural environments. Jacqueline’s experience covers the areas of community conservation-based development such as supporting the establishment of Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs), community engagements as part of Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) processes.
She also has expertise in conservation-based green livelihood development and trainings such as small holder farmer-based techniques to climate change adaptations and mitigation, environmental sensitization and conservation education in areas not limited to biodiversity conservation, climate change, watershed management and other ecosystem services. Jacqueline also has experience in the facilitation of multiple stakeholder processes, ecosystem restoration and the application of phytoremediation as part of landscape restoration for mining areas, carrying out environmental sustainability assessments notably High Conservation Value assessments, ecosystem service assessments using the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-Based Assessment (TESSA), tropical research as well as development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation frameworks for projects. Jacqueline is a member of the ESN team. She earned a Master of Science Degree from the University of Greenwich, UK. She speaks four Ghanaian languages besides English.
George Manu
BOARD CHAIR
George Manu has over 35 years of experience in international development gained from the private sector, academia and the United Nations. He has carried out specialist assignments in 60 countries across four continents and has been involved in various ESG initiatives. Until recently, he was a partner and head of International Development Advisory Services (IDAS) at KPMG in East Africa, where he managed a number of engagements and was responsible for IDAS business across Africa. He was also the KPMG Africa Lead Partner for the World Bank and the Deputy Lead Partner for the African Development Bank.
Previous leadership positions include CEO of EMPRETEC Ghana Foundation, which provided business development services and finance to SMEs, and head of enterprise development at the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (UN Specialized Agency) in Turin, Italy. He has worked as a faculty member at Durham and Stirling universities in the UK and as a Visiting Professor at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS).
George is Chairman of ESN and serves/has served on the Boards of other companies and organizations including as Chairman of Oasis Ghana (a private equity firm) and KPMG East Africa’s Audit Quality Committee. He earned a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Durham University and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. He speaks four languages.
Peter Hodson
ADVISOR
Peter has been a private equity investor for over 20 years. Having done an Engineering degree, he spent 5 years at BMW Group performing roles in Production, Design and IT implementation projects.
Subsequently he moved into private equity, initially he was at 3i for 5 years before spending 18 years at NVM Private Equity. At NVM he became part of the senior team steering the business through their own MBO and LP fund raise and circa 60 investments into SME companies. During this time Peter has sat on many boards building successful businesses before selling on to both PE and trade.
Raymond Okrofu Ategbi
MANAGING CONSULTANT
Raymond Okrofu Ategbi is a Chartered Environmentalist. He has many years of working experience in the Environment and sustainability Sector in Ghana and other countries in Africa. His areas of Specialization include Waste to Energy (W2E), Circular Economy, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
Raymond worked with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) as a Technical Advisor in charge of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. From 2019 to 2021, he worked on the Project, Market Entry into Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency for the Productive Sector in Ghana (DKTI). He also worked on a successor project, Sustainable Energy and Energy Efficiency for Climate Protection – SustainE4Climate (SE4C).
Raymond has over 15 years of work experience in Rural Development and Policy advocacy. He is a trained expert in Organization Development and experienced in managing start-up organizations. He coordinated several projects including waste recycling into biogas for energy and organic fertilizer, cook stove projects in many locations across Ghana, Advancing the organization of self-employed rural workers within trade unions, Food security and policy advocacy campaigns, and Rural afforestation projects.
Before joining GIZ, Raymond was the Country Manager of Safi Sana Ghana Limited which offers a circular economy solution to waste management. Safi Sana under Raymond built the first Grid-Connected biogas plant in West Africa.
As the Country Coordinator of CO2 Balance UK, he was responsible for delivering projects that were eligible for funding under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the CDM Gold Standard carbon credit issuing authorities in addition to coordinating employees and contractors of projects that deliver social, environmental economic benefits to local people across various locations in Ghana.
Raymond is currently the MANAGING CONSULTANT of The Environment Sustainability Nexus (ESN) Ltd. He has the responsibility of overseeing the planning, execution and delivery of multiple projects in Ghana and other African countries. His role also includes business and strategy development in meeting ESN’s objectives.
He is a graduate of the University of Cape Coast and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He obtained a BSc. Agric and Master of Arts in Organization Development (MA in OD) in UCC and Master of Science in Environmental Science (MSc. Envt Sci) in KNUST. He also acquired a Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Engineering (PGP Envt.Ing) from the University of Kassel in Germany. He is a fellow of the Institute for Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA), UK.