Co-Founder
Co-Founder
Member
Member
(Acting) Vice President
Finance Sub-Committee Chair
Membership & Communications.
Sub-Committee Chair
Livestock & Poultry Sub-Committee Chair
Board Secretary
Member
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Ken Schilz is a seasoned government affairs professional and former Nebraska State Senator, representing District 47 from 2009 to 2017. During his tenure, he chaired both the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees and served on key legislative panels, including Banking, Commerce, Education, and General Affairs gaining extensive experience in shaping policy frameworks that support economic development, agriculture, and trade.
Senator Ken Schilz brings one of the most substantive combinations of agricultural policy leadership and hands-on operational experience in international development and direct grain-livestock operational experience at commercial scale
Ken co-founded the Ghana-Nebraska Agribusiness Growth and Trade Relations Chamber (GNEBCham) with Ghana’s Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa. He is also the lead at Ecosyntra
Through these platforms, he has played a pivotal role in strengthening cross-continental agribusiness partnerships between Ghana and Nebraska.
His efforts include facilitating Ghanaian participation in Nebraska’s Husker Harvest Days, driving public-private collaborations, and coordinating high-level engagements such as bilateral meetings with Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
Ken brings a practical and policy-informed perspective, shaped by his work managing a large-scale feed yard and his leadership roles in water management and rural economic development organizations. With deep-rooted relationships across Nebraska’s agricultural, legislative, and private sector networks, he is uniquely positioned to foster strategic investment, innovation, and trade linkages between Ghana and the Midwestern United States.
SENATOR KEN SCHILZ – LEGISLATIVE & AGRICULTURAL POLICY
Nebraska State Senator, District 47 (2009–2017)
FORMER CHAIRMAN, Nebraska Legislature Agriculture Committee and Natural Resources Committee
Served on the Governor’s Platte River Advisory Committee
B.S. Business Administration, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Managed a 20,000-head commercial feedyard for 15 years — direct expertise in grain-livestock systems integration
Head of Cattle Procurement, McGinley Schilz Company
President, Keith County Area Development
President, Nebraska Water Users, South Platte Water Users on Water Policy Task Force
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa is a tireless and leading advocate for the development of agriculture in Ghana, recognized for her sustained work in advancing inclusive agriculture, farmer empowerment, and value chain growth.
She is the Founder and Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, where she works with farmers, women, youth, rural communities, farmers with disabilities, beginner and emerging agribusinesses to strengthen livelihoods and build resilient agricultural systems.
Her relentless efforts have earned global recognition, including the Rally Mulheres do Agro Ambassador Award in Brazil, Campania mater recognition, reflecting her contributions in transforming agriculture into a space of innovation, dignity, shared progress and social justice and the 2024 Agrifood future Prize, celebrating her consistency, agribusiness interventions, her leadership and innovative approaches to shaping the future of food systems.
Alberta has initiated and led several nationally impactful agricultural platforms and interventions, focused on agri-trade expansion, capacity building, agribusiness leadership development, investment, market access, and innovation within the sector.
Some of her initiatives include the Gathering of the Royals, the Ghana Agrochemical Crop protection Exhibitions, the Agricultural Students Career Guidance and Mentorship dialogue Bootcamp, the Women in Food and Agricultural Leadership Training Forum, Gold in the Soil Awards, Ghana Poultry Day, one household-one garden initiative, Boost to Bloom project, the monthly Agriwoman Marketplace and the Pre-Harvest Agribusiness Exhibitions and Conference.
Through these initiatives, she has provided and continues to provide long-term opportunities for farmers and agribusinesses, strengthened capacities, influenced mindset change, advanced gender inclusivity, promoted women’s participation in agriculture, fostered partnerships across the public and private actors.
Through her training, coaching, mentoring, grassroots advocacy, and community-driven projects, Alberta has supported rural development, market linkages, trade promotion, and sustainability initiatives that continue to transform communities and agribusinesses.
She also plays a key role in organizing Ghana’s annual National Farmers’ Day Exhibitions in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
Her impact extends beyond Ghana. She co-founded the Ghana-Nebraska Agribusiness Growth and Trade Relations Chamber.
Alberta is also a World Food Forum Ghana Chapter Founding member and the Ghana National Lead. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Indigenous Poultry Farmers Association and the Blue Food Innovation Hub.
She was nominated in 2025 by H.E. the President as a Governing Board member of the Ghana-Incentive-based risk sharing system for Agricultural lending – GIRSAL.
She was recently nominated to serve on the 24-hour Economy National Seed System Reset Task Team, where she leads the Farmer Access and Extension Working Group.
Alberta is also a cattle farmer.
Member
Justin T. Wayne is the lead architect of KFRI and the primary driver of its Ghana relationships, community legitimacy, and institutional access. His credentials span legal practice, legislative leadership, and a unique customary position in Ghana that no other external organization has achieved.
INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED LEGISLATIVE EFFECTIVENESS
He is ranked the number three (3) most effective senator in the 108th Nebraska Legislature by the Center for Effective Lawmaking (Vanderbilt University / University of Virginia) scoring 2.44 against an average of 1.00
He equally Holds the LONGEST consecutive streak of “Above Expectations” performance in the 108th Legislature — four uninterrupted legislative sessions and consistently ranked among the top three most effective lawmakers in the Nebraska Legislature since taking office in 2017.
ECOSYNTRA - NEBRASKA
Jess Goldoni is the Director of Marketing Communications at Limitless Male Medical Clinic in Nebraska, USA, where she leads strategic communications and public engagement efforts focused on men’s health and wellness.
She has worked closely with private and public institutions across the State of Nebraska to drive impactful storytelling, health advocacy, and brand development. Jess also hosts The Limitless Male Podcast, a platform that challenges stigmas and promotes honest conversations around mental and physical wellbeing. Her work reflects a strong commitment to purposeful communication, public-private collaboration, and community-driven impact.
Jess recently won the primary elections and is looking forward to joining the Nebraska Legislature soon.
ACTING CHAIR, GHANA-NEBRASKA AGRIBUSINESS GROWTH AND TRADE RELATIONS CHAMBER.
Cecil Thomas Nee Lantey Sunkwa-Mills is a business, media and agribusiness professional with over 30 years of experience, currently serving as Acting Chair of GNEBCham. He is deeply committed to advancing the Chamber’s mission of expanding agribusiness trade, investment, and educational exchanges between Ghana and Nebraska.
As CEO of T&C Farms Limited — a sustainable poultry and grain enterprise with roots going back to 1976 — Cecil brings hands-on agricultural experience to his Chamber leadership.
He is actively driving partnerships in poultry production and through strategic collaborations with farmers and cooperatives, the production and processing of grain crops including soya beans, maize, peanuts, and white beans, to strengthen Ghana’s food systems and open new export opportunities through GNEBCham’s growing network
Cecil holds an Executive MBA in Marketing from the University of Ghana and is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana.
SENIOR LECTURER, Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness, University of Ghana
Dr Osei-Asare is an Agricultural Economist by profession and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. He has 21 years of professional experience in consulting, research, and teaching. His professional experience spans development economics, public policy formulation and analyses, agribusiness development and research; food and nutrition security assessments, agricultural (crops and livestock) value chains development, modelling and analysis; climate change and variability; agriculture finance; and project appraisal and management, amongst others. He is an Impact Assessment specialist with immense experience in project design, undertaking project/programme impact evaluation/assessments; monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL); Organisational Capacity Assessments (OCA); economic and social impact assessments (ESIA); preparation of Resettlement Action Plans (RAP) and community and stakeholder engagements with project-affected people (PAP); and general agribusiness development.
Dr Osei-Asare has immense experience in commodity value chains in cocoa, cashew, mango, oil palm, maize, horticulture crops, and rice value chains, amongst others. He has skills and expertise in designing and implementing large-scale baseline studies, mid-term and end-line assessment surveys, and skilled in analysing qualitative and quantitative survey data using various analytical tools. His expertise also includes curriculum design for tertiary education programmes and developing course modules for leadership and skills training.
He has consulted for International and local Organisations, including the World Bank, FAO, UNDP, AGRA, USAID, ACDI/VOCA – Agribusiness Systems International (ASI), Ghana Commodity Exchange (GCX), African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), ADA Commercial Inc.- Liberia, Solidaridad West Africa (SWA), AngloGold Ashanti, Ghana Manganese Company (GMC), Golden Star Resources Limited (GSSL), Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL)-Kenyasi, Mott MacDonalds Limited (MML), amongst others. His consulting and impact evaluation experience spans across Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Kenya.
He is currently a governing board member of the Ghana Nebraska Agribusiness Growth and Trade Relations Chamber (GNEBCHAM) and the chairperson of the Finance Committee of GNEBCHAM.
He is also a member of the following boards and committees at the University of Ghana: member of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences (CBAS)
Academic Board; member of the Careers and Counselling Committee, University of Ghana Academic Board; and a member of the Business and Executive Committee (BEC), University of Ghana Academic Board.
Since 2011, Dr Osei-Asare has been a USAID-trained facilitator through the USAID Africa Lead project implemented by DAI in 2011 (original Africa Lead) and through to Africa Lead II (2013 to 2019). He has contributed to book chapters and over 60 academic peer-reviewed journal publications that are Scopus-indexed.
Co-founder and CEO , Albert’s Haven Autism Foundation and Albert Haven Farms
Ato Brown is a development specialist with over 30 years of global experience. He retired from the World Bank in December 2019 after 25 years of service. He currently resides in Ghana and he is the Co-founder and CEO of Albert’s Haven Autism Foundation which also manage a 100 acre farm estate.
His last position at the World Bank was Country Manager of the World Bank for Kazakhstan in the Europe and Central Asia Region (2016- 2019). He had oversight over an IBRD portfolio of around USD 4.0bn together with significant annual Analytical and Knowledge Products (RASs) in this transition economy with a challenging client. Before this assignment, he was the Country Manager for Sierra Leone in the Africa Region (2012-2015) engaged in strategic country dialogue with Government, Development Partners and the Civil Society as well as supervised the preparation and management of a broad range of development projects.
He also successfully led the World Bank Group’s response to the Ebola Pandemic in the country.
Prior to above assignments, he was Sector Manager for the Water Sector in the Middle East and North Africa Region of the World Bank (2009-2012) in charge of water resources management, water supply and sanitation services and irrigation development.
President, Ghana Livestock Breeders and Traders Association
With four decades of transformative leadership in Ghana’s livestock sector, Alhaji Moro Akakande brings unparalleled expertise spanning farming, trading, and strategic governance. Currently serving as President of the Ghana Livestock Breeders and Traders Association (GLIBTA), President of the Ghana Federation of Livestock Inter-Professionals (GHAFLIP), and President of the West African Association for Cross-Border Trade in Agro-forestry-pastoral and Fisheries Products—Ghana (WACTAF), Alhaji Akakande has positioned himself as a visionary leader driving regional trade relations and sector advancement.
Throughout his career, Alhaji has championed critical reforms that have reshaped Ghana’s livestock landscape. He led the charge to curb road harassment that hindered livestock transport, successfully negotiated reduced import duties that improved sector competitiveness, and spearheaded the fencing of Ashaiman cattle market to enhance operations and sanitation. His innovation of ID cards for traders and breeders established new standards for market regulation and transparency. These achievements underscore his commitment to both immediate sectoral needs and long-term institutional development.
Beyond infrastructure and policy, Alhaji is deeply invested in human capital development. He has trained 100 women in cattle fattening techniques, equipped 100 youth (50 male, 50 female) with essential record-keeping skills, and provided 70 traders with professional trading and business management training. As a founding member of WACTAF, he architected institutional frameworks that continue to strengthen West African collaboration in agribusiness and trade.
Alhaji’s international engagement reflects his commitment to global best practices. He has participated in the Turkish African Economic Conference, the Halal Conference on Livestock and Meat in Turkey, the Agromeck Livestock Conference, and the Ghana-Nebraska Economic Forum in the United States. His recognition through the certificate of honor for his role in founding the COFENABVI-AO further validates his standing as a regional thought leader and stakeholder in cross-border trade.
A multilingual professional fluent in English, French, Hausa, Mossi, Twi, and Frafra, Alhaji bridges cultural and geographic divides to foster collaborative dialogue. His membership in COFENABVI-AO and WACTAF positions him at the nexus of West African agribusiness governance, where he continues to advance policies that support smallholder farmers, traders, and the broader livestock value chain. As a board member of the Ghana-Nebraska Agribusiness Growth and Trade Relations Chamber, Alhaji remains committed to strengthening transatlantic partnerships that benefit Ghana’s agricultural sector and its entrepreneurs.
Editor , Education/Agriculture of the Daily Graphic of the Graphic Communications Group Ltd
Severious Kale Dery is the Editor – Education/Agriculture of the Daily Graphic of the Graphic Communications Group Ltd. The Daily Graphic, which is the flagship paper of the company, is Ghana’s most widely circulated newspaper.
Mr Dery has worked for the company for the past 27 years, having handled multiple tasks and portfolios. Until May this year, Mr Dery, who is a member of the Editorial Board of the company, was the Editor – Education/Agriculture/Health/Gender.
He has reported extensively, covering every aspect of journalism both locally and internationally.
A year after his appointment with the company, Mr Dery won the Dag Hammerskjöld Fellowship in 1998, where he was stationed at the UN Headquarters in New York and also in Washington DC, where, for three months that he stayed there, he filed over one hundred stories made up of news, news features and analytical stories.
Mr Dery, who has reported extensively outside Ghana, was selected by the US Foreign Press Centre, Washington to join other journalists selected across the globe to report on the Indiana State Presidential Primaries in April-May 2016.
Most of his foreign assignments took him to countries such as the US, China, the Czech Republic, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Germany, Turkey among others.
A Ghana Journalists Association Awards winner, Mr Dery was selected as winner and the African representative in the 1998 Dag Hammerskjöld Fellowship, where worked alongside two other young journalists from Hong Kong and Iran.
A product of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Mr Dery holds an MA in Communication Studies at the University of Cape Coast. He also attended short courses both inside and outside Ghana.
Chief Executive Officer, Business and Financial Times
Dr. Godwin Acquaye is a distinguished economist and transformational business leader, serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Business and Financial Times (B&FT), Ghana’s foremost business newspaper. Renowned for his strategic clarity and innovation, he has repositioned B&FT into a multi-platform business intelligence brand with growing influence across Ghana and the wider African market.
Under his leadership, B&FT has undergone a significant evolution beyond print into a dynamic ecosystem that integrates digital journalism, thought leadership, and high-impact convenings. He has spearheaded the expansion of the B&FT App and digital platforms, while strengthening the company’s portfolio of flagship events—including the Environmental Sustainability Summit, BrandCon Africa, Ghana Economic Forum, Africa Energy Conference, and the Money Summit—creating powerful platforms for policy dialogue, investment promotion, and private sector growth.
Dr. Acquaye is widely respected for his ability to bridge the gap between policy, business, and media, convening leaders across sectors to drive meaningful conversations that shape economic direction. A strong advocate for youth development and entrepreneurship, he actively champions initiatives that equip young people with the tools, networks, and opportunities to thrive in a rapidly changing economy.
He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Swiss Business School (NIBS), an MSc in Economics, Banking and Finance from the University of Glasgow, and a Bachelor’s degree in Education (Mathematics) from the University of Cape Coast.
Dr. Acquaye is married with three children. Beyond his professional commitments, he is an avid traveler with a keen interest in global perspectives, which continue to inform his leadership and vision.
Member
Barima Owoahene Acheampong Sarpong Ii is a multifaceted entrepreneur with experience in manufacturing, agriculture, real estate, and natural resources research. He is also a published author, a leader in the Church of Pentecost (COP) Business Network, and a procurement consultant with extensive experience managing public projects funded by the World Bank, African Development Bank, and UN-World Food Programme.
Currently, he serves as the Deputy PEMEM Director, National Secretary, and Greater Accra Chairman for COP Business Network