AWARDING BOARD
Celebrating Young Leaders
Forty under 40 Ghana awarding board
Our awards are carefully managed to guard the credibility and ensure its sustainability.
The Awards are supervised by a board of eminent Ghanaians comprising of the following:
Prof. David Atta Peters
Prof. David Atta-Peters is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth Science, University of Ghana where he teaches courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels in Sedimentary Geology and Petroloeum Geoscience. He is a Fulbright Fellow and an Associate Member of the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists (AASP) Centre for Excellence in Palynology, Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, USA where he studied dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy in 1997. He also studied at the Institute of Historical Geology and Paleontology, University of Copenhagen in 1988.
As a palynologist and biostratigrapher, Prof. D. Atta-Peters research interest is in palynology, palynofacies analysis, organic geochemistry and sedimentology of sedimentary basins. He has worked extensively on sediments from the Sekondi Group in the Central Basin of Ghana and on sediments from exploratory oil wells in the offshore Tano Basin where hydrocarbons (oil and gas) have been discovered and production is ongoing in the Jubilee Field. He has also worked on sediments from the Atchafalaya marsh in the Mississippi River delta and Timbalier Bay along the Gulf Coast of USA. He is a member of American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists (AASP), International Commission of the Palaeozoic Microflora (CIMP), Ghana Science Association (GSA) and the Ghana Institution of Geoscientists (GhIG).
Prof. D. Atta-Peters is the Master of Legon Hall, University of Ghana and a member of the board of the Petroleum Commission which is tasked to regulate activities in the upstream petroleum sector. He is also an assessor of academic programmes for oil and gas for accreditation of some universities by National Accreditation Board.
Prof. Nana Essilfie Conduah
Nana essilfie-conduah is a political historian, poet, author, policy analyst, all round broadcaster commentator, news wires specialist, academic journalist and chair of journalist and Chair of Journalism at the African University College of Communication. Nana is hugely cosmopolitan being widely travelled-worked including his peal among others as the London-based Foreign Correspondent of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during cold war years and the African Freedom spread and covered East/West Europe and North Africa.
His wealth of knowledge and experience are awesome in dept and quality; he possesses quite an extensive know-how in administration-worked in public and public Corporate (Business/Industry/Electronic media (the National Communication Authority, NCA) and held senior and advisory positions in resident US Embassy particularly in the era of the most difficult times of the Ghana-US relations post-1st Republic. nana was appointed Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Graphic (Mid December 1981); but could not take up the position following the second coming of Rawlings, end of December 1981. He has lectured in situ and visiting Europe US; he is a profilic writer-contributes to local and overseas academic and professional for journals (West Africa/Africa) and stringed for Reuters, (Post-anchoring Programs in Bush house London,) BBC, Radio Free Europe and VOA. Nana has just returned as a member for journalist/communicators training Universities to the National Media Commission(NMC) Ghana Press Watchdog, which he had previously pioneered setting up and run it for seven straight man-caused politically tortuous years and retired. Nana hobbies with classical music and cricket His concerns are for decorum, truth and independent free and open-mindedness, intellectually.
The degree of his tolerance for indiscipline is an absolute zero. He is very orthodox traditional-steeped, hails from royalty in Elmina, a coastal town with enormous history. He is a large family person-micro and extended, now at age 79, nana describes himself for credo as “an incorrigible Roman Catholic-Born and Bred”, scholarships-educated at St Augustine College (Cape coast) and British Universities-academic and professional.
Dr. Ato. Conduah
F. Ato Conduah brings to Ghana Forty Under 40 Awards Board, sixteen (16) years of International and local work/consulting experience in senior management positions. He is a strategic problem solver, critical thinker, marketing, media communications, management strategy and training. Mr.Ato Conduah has been the CEO/Lead Consultant of Ato Conduah& Associates (ACA) Group, a six-sigma management, strategy financial marketing, and media communications consulting practice since 2000.
He worked as Development Communications Consultant to the Ministry of Public Sector Reform (2008-2009); Director of Development, Lincoln Community School (US Embassy), Accra (2006-2007): Lecturer in marketing, business communications and and research at GIMPA (2003); Adjunct Lecturer in business negotiations at the University College of Entrepreneurship, Accra (2005-2008); Independent Management & Marketing Consultant, Milton Keynes (2001-2003); Marketing Manager for Checksun (UK) Ltd London (1999-2001); Marketing Manager, Morgan Stanley Investments, London(1997-1999); Advertising Manager, Media World London (1995-1996); and District Public Education Officer, NCCE (1994-1995). Mr.Ato Conduah holds MA in Marketing Communications from University of Westminster Business School, London; MA in International Studies from University of Leeds; and BA (Hons),Dip.Ed. from the University of Cape Coast.
As USIA/YAL Fellow in 1994, he received executive eduction in investment economics and management science at Havard University Business School; journalism and strategic communications at Columbia University; conflict resolution at the United Nations; and educational reform at UCLA, USC, CUNY, University of Michigan and Indiana University (USA). He is awaiting a PhD degree in marketing from Commonwealth Open University, BVI-UK, and completing an LL.B (Hons) degree from the faculty of Law University of Ghana, Legon.
Mr.Ato Conduah is a well-known publicist and consultant who has worked on numerous international consulting and training assignments for the UN, World Bank, IDA, UNDP APDF/IFC, DFID, EU, multinational client and NGO’s. He serves on the Boards of four companies in Accra, and is a professional member of IPR-Ghana, CIM, GJA, CIMgt and the Association of Certified Entrepreneurs. He is a fellow of IMAN-a policy think-tank in Accra. Mr.Ato Conduah was elected to the Board of Donewell Insurance Company Limited in 2010.
Dr. Fidelia Dake
Fidelia Dake (Ph.D.) is a young female professional with over ten years of experience in academia and international development. She teaches postgraduate courses in statistics and demographic methods at the Masters and PhD levels at the University of Ghana where she also supervises student thesis and dissertations. Her research intersects issues on nutrition and population health outcomes, urban health, health and human rights and international health. In the area of international development, Fidelia has provided technical and strategic leadership as well as managerial support to several projects, both national and international.
She was the Country Coordinator for the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Improvement under the Data for Health Initiative in Ghana. Currently, she is the Technical Consultant on the Global Grants Program also under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative hosted at the Ghana Statistical Services in Accra, Ghana. In addition to her extensive expertise in academia and international development, Fidelia has a strong background in statistical analysis and is versatile in both quantitative and qualitative research methods. She has published widely in many international peer-reviewed journals. She holds Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Philosophy, Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in different disciplines. Fidelia has professional experience in Ghana, Ethiopia, the United States of America and the United Kingdom
Dr. Ken Kwaku
Dr Ken Kwaku is a citizen of Ghana, speaks English, French and Swahili. He holds a PhD from University of Toronto and a First Class in Economics and Political Science from McGill University. He has also attended Harvard’s Graduate School of Business in 1987. Since 2004,Dr Kwaku has been Special Advisor to President MKapa (now retired) of Tanzania, Special Advisor Investment Climate Facility for Africa, Board Member of ICB Financial Group Holdings AG , Chairman of the Data Link University Council of Ghana (2011 to date),Advisory Board Member African Achievers Awards Foundation,Chairman DCDM Consulting, and Chairman of Brooks Assets Management Limited (2011 to date). He also serves as Ghana’s Honorary Consular to the Republic of Tanzania.
Professionally, Dr Ken Kwaku served with the World Bank Group from 1976 to 2004 and held positions including Chief MIGA Africa Representative 2002 – 2004 and Manager for Africa 1998 – 2002. Between 1995 and 1998, he was seconded from the World Bank Group as Advisor to the Namibian Government. He has numerous academic and professional awards and publications to his credit and speaks regularly at international conferences.
PURPOSE
To recognise and celebrate 40 emerging leaders under the age of 40 who demonstrate or impact personally and/ or professionally through their exceptional leadership
