Driven by an ambition to be part of Africa’s positive transformation, Co-Founder & Managing Partner Kissy Agyeman-Togobo brings more than 15 years at leading global business intelligence agencies, studies in Law & French, Political Science and Governance, Risk & Compliance to bear for clients and partners from her base in Accra. She has travelled extensively across the sub-region and leads on impact and gender-oriented studies for impact investors, donors and NGOs. Kissy serves as a trustee for Footprints Africa which works closely with SMEs in promoting inclusive and scalable approaches to doing business across Africa. Kissy loves languages and is fluent in English and French, intermediate in Twi, and has a basic grasp of Ewe and German.
Co-Founder & Managing Partner Nana Adu Ampofo is a country risk specialist. For the past 15 years, he has assisted private and public sector clients in Sub-Saharan Africa to identify, differentiate and navigate perceived and substantive risks across the region. Before co-founding the firm, Nana worked on sovereign risk assessment at a leading international market intelligence agency, on United Nations technical assistance to African governments designing FDI regimes and on the competitiveness team at the UK’s Department of Trade and Industry. At Songhai Advisory, Nana has played a leading role in risk management projects for investment management firms. He has fluent English and intermediate French and Twi.
Technologist, chief executive and investor for over 20 years, Peter Gbedemah has grown and sold businesses worth over USD1 billion. He is an advisor to Songhai Advisory, whose perspective and advice over the last ten years has been a crucial component of the firm’s success.
Marritt Claassens is a South Africa based researcher and public affairs specialist with extensive experience across the corporate and nongovernmental sectors, both locally and internationally. She brings more than 20 years’ experience analysing and consulting budgetary and public finance matters, as well as corporate governance and stakeholder relations across the continent. This includes entities such as the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Institute for Democracy in Africa (IDASA), South African Breweries (SAB) Ltd and Goldfield Ltd. Maritt is a fluent speaker of English and Afrikaans.
Well-networked in Ghanaian public, private and civil society, Lord-Gustav Togobo has played a leading role in business development at Songhai Advisory since 2014. His previous experience includes policy, planning, monitoring and evaluation for a central government department in Ghana, business analysis & forecasting, and as a brand manager for a FTSE 100 UK retail corporation. Gustav is a fluent Anlo (Ewe), Twi, Ga, Fante and English speaker.
A graduate of law & economics with significant project management experience, Wahito Muite has translated her skillset, passion for bringing communities together and her own entrepreneurial experience into profound insights for social enterprise, digital services and agricultural sector clients in Kenya and East Africa more widely.
Working out of Lagos, Consultant Adedayo Ademuwagun previously served as an investigative journalist covering political developments in the country. Over the past five years with Songhai Advisory, he has helped clients needing to understand counterparties and stakeholders as well as political and reputational risk underpinning transactions in Nigeria and the wider region. Adedayo is a fluent Yoruba and English speaker.
As a consultant in Songhai Advisory’s Accra and London offices for the past five years, Kobi Annan has drawn on networks and insight from prior experience living and working in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Ghana for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the European Union and local ecommerce pioneers to assist clients operating across the region. Kobi is fluent in both English and Italian, has a working knowledge of French and German, and basic Twi and Fante.
Landing Goudiaby is a Dakar-based legal and business development expert with longstanding experience as a consultant with the Songhai Advisory team in West Africa. From this position, he has been able to help clients to understand the competitive landscape and develop market entry strategies for Senegal and neighbouring countries. He is a fluent French and Wolof speaker with intermediate English.
Based in Abidjan, Aurelie Kouadio is a procurement executive with significant local and international experience. Her more than 12 years’ work on strategic sourcing and marketing matters in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors is a source of invaluable insight on businesses and supply chains in Cote d’Ivoire. Aurelie is fluent in French and with a working knowledge of Arabic, Baoule and German
Sandrine Nsah in Gabon is a public law specialist with diverse public and private sector experience and therefore brings unique insight to the Songhai table. For example, she is able to draw on previous roles with the Gabonese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, election observer missions and the local petroleum distribution industry. Sandrine has an international relations diploma and a postgraduate in law and administration. She is fluent in French and Fang, and has a working knowledge of English.
Based in Lagos, Chimaobi Okere is a professional accountant and social accounting scholar. That combination of skills, interests and networks has contributed to a pragmatic and enhanced understanding of clients’ businesses, processes and potential value for diverse stakeholders. He is a fluent Igbo and English speaker.
Originally from Cote d’Ivoire, Marc Eric Koffi, is an undergraduate quantitative risk management and creative technology student. A graduate of the African Leadership Academy, Mark joined Songhai Advisory as a research intern in 2020. From here, he has been able to employ his quantitative research skills and passion for social enterprise work in multiple jurisdictions. Mark is fluent in French, Baoule and English, and has intermediate Spanish.
An entrepreneurship enthusiast with a background in computer science, entrepreneurship support and student government, Nutifafa Amedior joined Songhai Advisory from Ghana’s Ashesi University as an intern in 2019. He has since contributed to research and analysis, particularly in the area of social enterprise and impact. Nutifafa has English and Ewe as his first languages.
A graduate of the African Leadership Academy and originally from Mauritius, Meenakshi Coondiah joined Songhai Advisory as a research intern in 2020. She is currently reading undergraduate economics and has been able to contribute to risk analysis reports for SMEs, field research and macro-economic forecasts about the investment climate in Africa. Meenakshi is fluent in Mauritian Creole (native speaker), French, English, and intermediate in Hindi.
Nana Afua Yirenkyi leads on HR and administration at the firm. She is a specialist in management and operations with a keen interest in people and processes. Nana Afua is of Ghanaian origin, moved to the UK at a young age, speaks English as a first language and is a conversational speaker of French, Twi and Ga.
The research team
The above core team members are joined by 150 experts, analysts and consultants, local researchers, associates and investigators across twenty countries. The collective name for our network of research associates - Balafon - is taken from a musical instrument native to the region. You'll find it under a variety of names in countries across Africa. Like their namesake, our team live locally and have deep roots in the region. We speak the languages, know the names, the faces and the terrain; and we employ that understanding alongside technical backgrounds in support of clients, partners and stakeholders.