As a social enterprise, Standard Blue Investments was established to improve the lives and build capacity of the people of West Africa. In collaboration with local indigenous communities, traditional and local municipal leaders, the success of this project, SBI’s nature-based projects, depend on the expertise and cooperative efforts of a consortium of organizations and individuals.
Organization
and Management
Notse Nii Nortey Owuo IV
Founder and partner, Standard Blue Investments
Nii Nortey is trained as a legal professional with experience in legal and strategic issues surrounding banking, finance, international trade and associated regulatory systems. He previously served as North American Lead Counsel for Standard Chartered Bank and as a team member of Bank of America’s corporate general counsel in Charlotte, NC. At Bank of America he oversaw international compliance and regulatory systems. As a native-born Ghanaian, he was enstooled as the traditional leader, the Osu Mantse, of the Osu people of Ghana in early 2022.
Diana Doheny
Partner, Standard Blue Investments
As an investor and consultant, who is passionate about climate solutions, Diana brings her extensive experience in finance, strategy, real estate development, and project management to West Africa to design nature-based solutions that empower local communities to mitigate the impact of climate change.
Ashok Das, PhD
SunMoksha, Award-winning micro-grid engineer and designer
Having worked closely with underserved and disadvantaged communities, Dr. Das brings his expertise in clean technologies, micro-grids, IoT, smart grid, renewable energy, smart irrigation, rural electrification, and semiconductor equipment modeling. As the founder of Sun Moksha, Dr. Das’s innovations and models have received national and international awards and accolades.
Joshua Adotey
Scientific Project Lead, University of Cape Coast Coastal Management Center
Mr. Joshua Adotey holds a Master’s degree in Integrated Coastal Zone Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, both from the University of Cape Coast. He is presently the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the World Bank funded Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECoR), University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
Desmond Addo
Chief Operating Officer
As the COO, Desmond oversees all operational and project activities of SBI. He holds a degree in Banking and Finance, an MBA in Finance and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. Desmond brings years of experience as a compliance officer, an internal controls manager and an operational controls manager for a major Ghanaian bank.
Aaron Ampofo
Finance Officer
Aaron, brings his accounting and finance experience as Finance Manager at Dominion University College. He leads Finance for Standard Blue to ensure proper financial administration aligns with organizational goals while maintaining good working relationships between the organization and statutory bodies (Ghana Revenue Authority and Social Security and National Insurance Trust) for compliance and accounting standards.
Michael Okwei
Program Manager and Project Lead
Michael is the Program Officer for the Standard Blue eco-village project, a planned circular and sustainable village. Michael is a tech savvy and sustainable development advocate. He brings his proven experience directing all phases of projects as a Project Lead in providing professional, technical and competent advice in Health, Safety and Environment Quality (HSEQ). Enthroned as a traditional ruler of Lubunya, he now bears the stool name “Nii Nortey Tatse I”.
Dr. Kwadwo Boakye Boadu
Lead, Alternate Wood Research
Dr. Boadu is an expert in wood energy and carbon assessment, forestry, environmental justice, biodiversity conservation, community engagement, teaching and development, and project implementation. He is currently a senior lecturer at the department of Wood Science and Technology, KNUST with 8 years’ experience in research.
Advisory Board Members
Fred Hornaday
Having a focus on assisting farmers, investors, and individuals at all stages of the bamboo journey, Fred, through Bambu Batu Consultation Services addresses all areas of cultivation, including species selection, plantation set-up, monetization strategies, sourcing of supplies and machinery, developing achievable sustainability goals and generating carbon credits.
Gloria Adu
Gloria brings her experience as an entrepreneur through her work life. Addressing problems of climate change, creating employment opportunities, offering skill training in non-timber products (NTFP), training communities in capacity building and alternative livelihood activities.
Frederick Tay-Agbozo
Frederick is experienced in the insurance, banking, oil & gas, and logistics sectors. He is currently the founder of a consumer products import and distribution company. Frederick is also a sub-divisional chief of Keta- Dzelukope in the Anlo State of Ghana for seventeen (17) years. His experience and passion for the socio-economic development of his community and the entire Anlo state supports and aligns with the sustainable goals of this project.
Partners and Advisors
- Ernest Apenkwah – Manager, Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Ada
- Lawrence Tetteh – Manager, Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Keta
- University of Cape Coast – Coastal Management Center
- Sun Moksha
- International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR), Michael Kwaku – Country Director (Ghana)
- Farmerline – is a Ghanaian-based company that develops solutions to increase access to farmers and simplify transactions throughout the agricultural value chain.
- Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST, “Tech”)