Biography of Mrs. Kosi Antwiwaa Yankey-Ayeh

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Biography of Mrs. Kosi Antwiwaa Yankey-Ayeh

Mrs. Kosi Antwiwaa Yankey-Ayeh has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first woman to hold the position of Chief Executive Officer at the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), formerly known as the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI).

The GEA operating under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) is responsible for empowering and nurturing Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Ghana.

Educational Background: Mrs. Kosi Antwiwaa Yankey-Ayeh

Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh holds a Masters in Public Administration and Public Policy from Harvard University, where she was recognized with the 2016 Excellence Award for her academic distinction and contributions to the Edward S. Mason Program and the School.
In 2019, she received a certificate for completing the two-year Regional Entrepreneurship and Acceleration Program (REAP) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Sloan School of Management.
She obtained her BA in Government from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, USA, and holds a certificate in Market Access for Sustainable Development from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Experience & Positions held

In addition to her leadership role at GEA, Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh has also served as an Advisor on the Ministry of Finance’s Advisory Committee and holds a position as a Board Member at the Accra Digital Centre, among other committee memberships.
Before assuming her current position, Kosi accumulated extensive professional experience in the United States, Europe, and West Africa.
She has worked as a Consultant, Entrepreneur, and Banker at renowned institutions such as Deutsche Bank, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, and UBS. Notably, during her tenure at Deutsche Bank in New York, she played a crucial role in establishing the first-ever multi-million-dollar microfinance fund initiated by an investment bank.

Over the past decade, Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh has demonstrated her entrepreneurial drive by founding a financial institution and an agro-food processing company. Her achievements have been recognized internationally, as she was chosen as one of the top five finalists in the Women in Business Challenge held in the Netherlands in 2011.
In her capacity as a Consultant, Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh has been instrumental in setting up and driving the strategic development and growth of various businesses, incubators, and accelerators.
These initiatives have played a vital role in assisting MSMEs and entrepreneurs in Africa in commercializing their research, expanding their operations, and securing funding. Notably, in 2014, an agribusiness incubator established by her was listed among the top ten to watch in Africa.

Mrs. Kosi Antwiwaa Yankey-Ayeh Partnerships

She played a crucial role in implementing programs and projects for esteemed partners such as USAID, CIDA, JICA, AFdB, IFAD, the World Bank, international NGOs, governments, and impact investors.

Over the past seven years, Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh has successfully raised over US$300 million in funds, a significant portion of which has been allocated to developing entrepreneurial and acceleration programs aimed at supporting entrepreneurs, youth, and MSMEs in Ghana. Her efforts have resulted in a remarkable increase of over 1000% in the budget and funding streams of the GEA.