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News & Events

Photo of Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah

, PhD

Professor, School of Business

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Photo of Princess Ruhama Acheampong

, PhD

Liaison Officer, Health Collaborative

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Photo of Charles Lagat

, PhD

Associate Professor, School of Business and Economics Coordinator, UNESCO Chair on Enterprise Management and Sustainability

Moi University

Photo of Diane Uyoga

, PhD

Assistant Professor, School of Businsess, Department of Marketing and Logistics

Moi University

Photo of Celestine Nema

Program Coordinator, Entrepreneurship & Work Integrated Learning - Management Department; Projects Lead - African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge, University of Toronto Scarborough, The BRIDGE

Photo of Sharon Ngugi

Marketing Manager, African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

Photo of William (Bill) McConkey

, PhD

Academic Director, New Venture Program, and Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship

University of Toronto Scarborough, African Impact Challenge, The BRIDGE

Photo of Mohammad Tahvili

Creative Studio Lead

University of Toronto Mississauga, ICUBE

Photo of Dave Fenton

Assistant Director, External Relations

University of Toronto Scarborough, The BRIDGE

Photo of Efosa Obano

Founder & Manager of the Black Founders Network; Founder of African Impact Initiative

University of Toronto, African Impact Challenge, The BRIDGE

Profile

Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah, PhD

Professor, School of Business

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Professor Wilberforce Owusu Ansah is an accomplished researcher, lecturer, trainer and consultant in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, Public Policy, Public Health, and Immigrant Entrepreneurship.

He has worked in private, public and not-for-profit organizations and academic institutions throughout the world including Norway, The Netherlands, Ireland and his native Ghana in many and varied capacities. He is a former Head of Department of the Marketing and Corporate Strategy Department and a former Vice Dean of the KNUST School of Business. Professor Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah is the Pillar Lead for Health Entrepreneurship, under the Africa Health Collaborative.

Email Address
woansah@gmail.com
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Ghana
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Princess Ruhama Acheampong, PhD

Liaison Officer, Health Collaborative

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Princess Ruhama Acheampong (PhD) is an international scholar and Lecturer at the School of Public Health of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. Princess has a wealth of experience in community mobilization, project coordination and project implementation. 

As a researcher, Princess has worked extensively in the areas of mHealth, malaria, epidemiology, maternal and child health, public health, nutrition, health promotion and gender. Princess has expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research.

Princess has coordinated several exchange programs and is highly interested in collaborative research. She serves as the Liaison Officer for the Health Collaborative, KNUST.

Email Address
princessracheampong@gmail.com
Country
Ghana
Governance
HENT Pillar Advisory Committee
Profile

Charles Lagat, PhD

Associate Professor, School of Business and Economics Coordinator, UNESCO Chair on Enterprise Management and Sustainability

Moi University

Professor Charles Lagat is an Associate Professor in the School of Business & Economics, Moi University, Kenya since 2002.

He has previously served as the Director for Directorate of International Programmes, Linkages & Alumni as Head of Marketing Department and as coordinator of different projects at Moi University. Charles had over 6 years industry experience in marketing and sales prior to joining the University. He has had international experience as a visiting scholar at Oklahoma State University USA, Netherlands and as visiting Professor in Donghua University, China. Charles has been actively involved in research in fields of management sciences, entrepreneurship, marketing and logistics. He has published papers in refereed journals and presented in international conferences, workshops and seminars. He is a Member of the Association of International Universities serving as an Ambassador for the African region, a Full Member of the Kenya Institute of Management and the Marketing Society of Kenya.

Email Address
lagatck@mu.ac.ke
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Kenya
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Diane Uyoga, PhD

Assistant Professor, School of Businsess, Department of Marketing and Logistics

Moi University

Diane Uyoga is an Assistant Professor at Moi University, Department of Marketing and Logistics.

She has previously served as the head of department of Aviation Management and Operations. She has extensive training and teaching experience in both quantitative and qualitative research designs and has published on quantitative research approaches in Kenya. She has served in the university at the capacity of knowledge integration and transfer in the fields of research, marketing, management and aviation. She has actively participated in curriculum development for undergraduate and master’s levels of education in Kenya. She has been a team member for committees that write and appraise proposals for grants for the university. Currently she represents the department in issues that affect Gender, Equity and Research Development at Moi University. Diane, born in Kenya, has contributed to the community through mentorship of girls in the local community. She also participates in preservation of culture of local communities within the North Rift Region.

Email Address
dianecuyoga@gmail.com
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Kenya
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Celestine Nema

Program Coordinator, Entrepreneurship & Work Integrated Learning - Management Department; Projects Lead - African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

Celestine Nema is a Program Coordinator for Entrepreneurship and Work-Integrated Learning at The BRIDGE, an entrepreneurship accelerator in the Management Department at the University of Toronto, Scarborough.

She also acts as the Projects Lead for the African Impact Initiative, a University of Toronto partner that runs the African Impact Challenge, a startup incubator program that  supports young African entrepreneurs to create viable solutions for the most pressing challenges within their communities. Celestine’s career spanned public service for almost a decade before pivoting her career to focus on her passion for entrepreneurship, youth education, and youth development.

Email Address
celestine.nema@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
African Impact Challenge
Profile

Sharon Ngugi

Marketing Manager, African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

Sharon Ngugi, a distinguished Pan African Change Leader and Marketing Guru, is committed to driving positive change across Africa through the art of storytelling. As the Marketing Manager for the African Impact Initiative, she harnesses her multifaceted skills to inspire transformation.

A “Brand Whisperer” and “Favorite Storyteller,” Sharon recognizes that stories possess the extraordinary power to ignite social change. She masterfully employs storytelling to amplify the impact of the African Impact Initiative’s projects. Sharon’s narratives not only raise awareness but also forge genuine connections with audiences, motivating them to become catalysts for change.

Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice & Influencer, Sharon utilizes her influential platform to share compelling stories of resilience, progress, and hope from Africa. Her dedication to illuminating these narratives has not only expanded the Initiative’s outreach but has also ignited thought-provoking dialogues about the continent’s potential.

Sharon’s innovative marketing strategies, coupled with her passion for storytelling, position her as a driving force behind the organization’s growth and success. Her ability to seamlessly blend storytelling with impactful marketing has not only made her an industry influencer but has also led to tangible change within African communities.

Through her visionary leadership and distinctive approach, Sharon inspires others to join the African Impact Initiative’s journey toward a brighter, more prosperous future for Africa.

Email Address
sharon@africanimpactinitiative.com
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Kenya
Program
African Impact Challenge
Profile

William (Bill) McConkey, PhD

Academic Director, New Venture Program, and Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship

University of Toronto Scarborough

UTSC grad Professor Bill McConkey spent two decades in the early-stage venture world before returning to the University of Toronto, Scarborough to join the Department of Management, teaching courses in Operations, Product Management and Entrepreneurship.

Bill has supported countless students as they launched new ventures, whether in the classroom, through co-curricular initiatives or co-op terms. Bill is involved in several student organizations, including MCC The Management Consulting Club, LIVE Competition and the department’s new Sales club. Bill is Academic Director of the campus’s New Venture Program, and sits on the Board of Advisors and Board of Directors of a number of Canadian companies.

He and his wife Monica and their five children – and new puppy – live in Stouffville, Ontario.

Email Address
bill.mcconkey@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Canada
Program
African Impact Challenge
Profile

Mohammad Tahvili

Creative Studio Lead

University of Toronto Mississauga

Mohammad Tahvili is a serial entrepreneur who has founded a number of companies in different sectors such as digital marketing, sustainability, diversity, and accessibility, all tied to social innovation and helping others shine.

His diverse background includes an HBSc in Computer Science and Entrepreneurship which helped him grow and help many small businesses with his technical skills. Additionally, he has over seven years of experience in app & website development, business development, branding and marketing that he is using to this day to help as many small businesses as possible to sustainable grow and scale their businesses.​

Email Address
mohammad.tahvilli@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Profile

Dave Fenton

Assistant Director, External Relations

University of Toronto Scarborough

Dave Fenton is the Assistant Director of External Relations with the Department of Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC).

He leads a team of relationship managers that support Management’s accredited co-operative education program, and oversees the curricular work-integrated learning (WIL) program through The BRIDGE. One such initiative includes the African Impact Challenge (AIC), launched in 2020 alongside through the African Impact Initiative.  The AIC empowers African youth to realize the change they wish to see in their communities through the development and launch of technology-driven social impact startups.  The AIC was recognized by the United Nations as one of the top 50 solutions in the 2020 Youth Solutions Report for Sustainable Development.  Dave has been published in Cooperative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada’s (CEWIL Canada) e-book “The Practice of Co-op and Work-Integrated Learning in the Canadian Context”, presented publications at the WACE International Research Symposium, the World Association of Cooperative Education (WACE) World Conference, the CEWIL Research Spotlight, and serves as facilitator of Global WIL Modules.  Dave holds a Master of Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto.

Email Address
dave.fenton@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
African Impact Challenge
Profile

Efosa Obano

Founder & Manager of the Black Founders Network; Founder of African Impact Initiative

University of Toronto

Efosa Obano started and manages the Black Founders Network (BFN), which supports Black entrepreneurs across Canada with capital, community, and capacity building.

He also started and leads the African Impact Initiative (AII), which enables early African innovators to create solutions to challenges in their communities. He has expertise in using technology to create social impact, invest with impact, and build early-stage ventures. For this work, he has been recognized by the United Nations and the Ontario Minister’s Award of Excellence.
 
Prior to these, he led a team that guided start-ups on their digital transformation journeys with Dell Technologies Canada. He also led community outreach for Dell Canada’s Social Impact Team & Dell Canada’s Black Networking Alliance. He received Dell’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award for this work. He is an alumnus of the University of Toronto, where he specialized in Strategic Management.

Email Address
efosa.obano@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
African Impact Challenge