Meet our team
Francis
Rohr-Kumah
What gives you hope when it comes to the future of our planet?
Seeing young people who refuse to give up hope and keep pushing to make a real difference gives me a lot of hope.
If you could bring one sustainability idea from another country to Ghana, what would it be?
Bike sharing models from cities across Europe. Affordable, low-emission mobility and encourages a more active everyday life.
What's one thing outside of work that keeps you grounded?
Sports, usually. It’s my go-to way to clear my head and stay balanced.
What's the most sustainable thing you own?
A winter jacket my dad bought almost 40 years ago.
What do you hope people take away after working with Ntifafa?
That collaboration truly matters. Real change happens when people work together, not alone.
What's one idea you wish more people would take seriously?
The planet doesn’t actually need us, we need the planet. So protecting the environment ultimately comes down to protecting ourselves.
Seyma
Sabire Evli
If you could solve one sustainability challenge overnight, which would you choose?
The belief that everything must continue as they are. People often view restructuring as a loss, even though the (unknown) changes might actually be more beneficial for them and their environment.
What’s one thing about sustainability conversations in Africa that you wish more people understood?
Sustainability issues cannot be viewed in isolation. Although Africa’s contribution to climate change is significantly smaller than, for example, that of Europe or the US, the effects of climate change on African regions are substantial. Our way of life in Europe plays a direct role in causing this. Therefore, if we want to promote sustainability in Africa, we must thoroughly understand the interdependencies between countries, critically examine our lifestyles, and develop solutions accordingly.
What’s one small thing that reliably makes your day better?
Discovering a new coffee shop with delicious cakes!
If the planet could send you a WhatsApp message, what do you think it would say?
Just keep it up – your efforts are making a difference!
What’s one thing you hope Ntifafa helps make possible?
To make sustainability topics and solutions more accessible to businesses and individuals, and to genuinely connect people across borders.
What are you optimistic about that most people aren’t?
That we still have a real chance of turning things around for the better if we stick together and work towards that goal as one.
So Prathna
Sim
What’s one thing you’ve changed your mind about since working in sustainability?
Having the time to reflect on what sustainability truly means and how to live a more sustainable life is a privilege. In places where people face existential challenges, there often isn’t the space or time to focus on these issues. That is precisely why it is our responsibility, for those of us with access to this knowledge, to share it with people who don’t have the room to engage with it.
What’s one thing about Ghana that makes you optimistic about its future?
Although I haven’t been to Ghana in person yet, the (young) people we are working with so far bring so much motivation and drive to create real change.
What’s a personal value you bring into your work?
Not being a sustainability expert. Coming from a design background instead allows me to bring another perspective and look at things from a different angle.
What does a “good future” look like to you?
More empathy, taking care about each other, all living beings and nature. The world could be a much more better place.
Nana Boatemaa
Sem-Danso
What was your “aha!” moment when you realised sustainability was something you wanted to work in?
I don’t think I had one specific “aha!” moment. I first encountered sustainability during my master’s in communications, but it really started to click after I attended an ESG seminar through Women in PR.
I enjoyed the session so much that I started reading more about sustainability. The more I learnt, the more I realised how broad the space was, and I kept asking myself: What’s the link between what I do and sustainability, and how can I genuinely make a difference?
That curiosity is really what got me interested in the field.
What’s a piece of advice you’ve received that has stuck with you?
“Never conspire.” Something my dad told me that has stuck with me to this day.
What’s one thing outside of work that keeps you grounded?
Walking!
What do you hope people take away after working with Ntifafa?
I hope people leave knowing that we really do mean it when we say we say we’re a do-tank, not a think tank. We’re big on turning ideas into action, and I think we’re a good example that you don’t have to be a big organisation to make a difference. Small but mighty!
Edwin Kwame
Sam
What’s one thing you’ve changed your mind about since working in sustainability?
I used to think sustainability was mostly about remembering to recycle and making better individual choices. Now I realise the bigger challenge is fixing the systems that make unsustainable choices the easiest ones.
What’s one thing about Ghana that makes you optimistic about its future?
The creativity and energy of young Ghanaians. From impact driven initiatives like Bus Stop Boyz to places like Escape Ecolodge promoting sustainable tourism, there are people proving that positive change can start from very local ideas.
What’s your most controversial sustainability opinion?
I don’t think sustainability should mean making life miserable. If the sustainable option isn’t affordable, convenient or enjoyable, we probably need to design a better solution.
What’s one problem you’d happily spend the next decade trying to solve?
Making sustainable development more inclusive, especially giving communities in Africa more power to shape the solutions that affect their own future. I’d happily spend the next decade figuring out how to make that happen.