His Excellency John Dramani Mahama has appointed Legal practitioner Abass Nurudeen as the Chief Executive Officer of the Social Investment Fund (SIF).
Mr. Abass Nurudeen, who is currently with S N A@Law in Kumasi, brings a wealth of experience in corporate and commercial law.
His expertise in the legal sector is complemented by his leadership skills, honed through his role as Project Manager of Chrisviegg Company Limited, a prominent player in Ghana’s road and building construction industry.
The appointment of Mr. Abass Nurudeen is expected to strengthen the operations of the Social Investment Fund, which focuses on fostering social and economic development across the country.
His diverse professional background positions him to effectively oversee the Fund’s mission of enhancing livelihoods through targeted investments and initiatives.
Augustine Donkor-Afram is the Finance and Accounting Specialist of SIF. He joined SIF in March 2009. He is a business and public administration graduate and finance professional. He attended Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Financial Training College in London and University of Ghana Business School.
He has over 23 years of career related working experience acquired from manufacturing, local governance and development programmes/projects funded by multilateral development institutions/banks namely European Development Fund (EDF), African Development Fund (ADF) OPEC Fund (OFID), Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and Vision Fund Ghana (affiliate of World Vision International).
He has the following academic and professional qualifications: Masters in Public Administration (MPA), Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (Accounting) and Professional Finance/Accounting Certification – FCCA/ACCA.
THE FINANCE & ACCOUNTING UNIT
The finance and accounting unit is headed by the finance and accounting specialist and assisted by six (6) accounting officers, two (2) at the fund management unit being the head office and four (4) at each SIF Zonal office. The SIF regional offices have been zoned into four (4) namely zone 1 made up of the three (3) Northern Regions, zone 2 made up of Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo Region, Zone 3 made up of Central and Western Regions and Zone 4 made up of Eastern, Greater Accra and Volta Regions. Each zonal accounting officer is responsible for the all financial and accounting matters of the zone.
The finance and accounting unit is responsible for managing all donor fund and counterpart funds meant for development projects and internally generated funds of SIF. It is also responsible for preparing all financial reports of SIF, budget preparation and implementation, payment of claims, etc.
Kwaku Agbesi, PhD is the Procurement Specialist with additional responsibilities as a project engineer at the Social Investment Fund (SIF). Kwaku has been with SIF since 2011. Prior to joining SIF Kwaku worked with New Juaben Municipal Assembly as the Municipal Engineer. Kwaku has vast experience in construction and public sector spanning over twenty years. Dr. Agbesi has expertise in building technology, cost management, quantity surveying, project management, construction management, public procurement, and sustainable procurement.
Kwaku has consulted for projects funded by multilateral institutions including African Development Bank, Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), World Bank and Agence Française De Development. Kwaku is a member of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors and Certified Member of the Project Management Institute.
He is the current Global President of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Alumni Association and serves on the Governing Council of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Kwaku is a member of the research committee of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry. He has been in research for the past 10 years and has a few publications to his credit. His research interest is in public procurement, sustainable procurement, and construction management.
Kwaku holds a Bachelor of Science in Building Technology; Master of Science (Construction Management); and PhD in Building Technology with special focus on sustainable construction procurement.
MacDonald Acquah is a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist with over seventeen (17) years’ experiences in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of public, private, and non-governmental projects and programmes in Ghana. Mr. Acquah has played an active and direct role in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of over thirty (30) development projects and programmes.
Mr. Acquah has Master’s degree in Development Studies and International Relations from Aalborg University in Denmark. He acquired his Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.
He has served as the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist and the Institutional Development Specialist for the Social Investment Fund (SIF) from 2013 till date. From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Acquah served as the Institutional Development Specialist (IDS) for the Integrated Rural Development Project which was jointly funded by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). Between 2013 and 2022 he worked as an independent Monitoring and Evaluation consultant for Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), CARE International, Oxfam Great Britain, Management System International (MSI) of U.S.A, STAR-Ghana, International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana.
From 2008 to 2013, Mr. Acquah worked as the Monitoring and Evaluation Expert for Pentax Management Consultancy Services Limited, Accra, Ghana. From 2003 to 2004, he worked as Assistant Project Officer for Training, Research and Networking for Development (TREND) Group in Kumasi, Ghana. MacDonald started his career as an intern at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, in 1999 where he acquired field experience in data compilation, data analysis and international events assistance.
Mr. Acquah is currently the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the Post COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP) which is being funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB). He is also the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the Integrated Rural Development Project Phase Two (IRDP II) which is being funded by the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).
MacDonald has acquired extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in the design and evaluation of public policies and programmes as well as providing tailor-made capacity building for public officials. He is a goal getter with deep commitment to ensuring delivery of results. Considered a team player who is results driven and highly responsive, Mr. Acquah possesses strong leadership, evaluative, analytical, problem solving, capacity building, information technology, report writing and presentation skills.
Heinz Osei Karikari is a Development Specialist with Master of Arts Degree in Democracy, Governance, Law and Development from the University of Cape Coast and B.A Social Sciences (Sociology and Law) from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
He has twenty two (22) years of proven expertise in the following:
He has worked in all the 16 regions and several districts and communities in the country and has been a key resource person in several donor funded projects including those funded by: Arab Bank for Economic Development (BADEA), World Bank (IDA), GTZ, KFW, PLAN International (GH), USAID, IFAD, AfDB, UNDP and OFID.
Moses Kwame Ohene is a Development Practitioner and Project Manager currently working as the Zonal Coordinator with the Social Investment Fund (SIF). He holds a Master of Arts Degree in Development Studies and a Bachelor of Arts Degree with honors in Social Work and Psychology from the University of Ghana (UG), Accra. He also holds an Advanced Diploma in Project Management from the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM-UK).
Moses has since 2002 acquired good working knowledge and experience in public administration and local governance through active work with relevant public and local government institutions. He has been involved in project management in both rural and urban communities over a period of 19 years with the Social Investment Fund.
Moses has been a Zonal Coordinator of the Social Investment Fund (SIF) since August 2013, co-ordinated and managed the Integrated Rural Development Project (IRDP) in the Greater Accra, Eastern and Volta Regions and currently managing the Central and Western Regions. Moses previously has served as Project Officer with the Social Investment Fund and was responsible for the successful operation of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Project I and II (GPRP I & II) and the Urban Poverty Reduction Project (UPRP) at the following districts; the then Dangme East and West, Fanteakwa, Upper West Akim, Yilo Krobo districts, Tema, Adenta and Ashaiman Municipal Assemblies from April 2002 to May 2009. He was also a Project Officer at the Fund Management Unit of SIF from May 2009 to June 2012 where he assisted the Small Scale Enterprise/Public Private Partnership Specialist in the implementation of the small scale enterprise development component of the Urban Poverty Reduction Project (UPRP.
He has facilitated several workshops particularly for adult learners both lettered and unlettered across several regions of Ghana and has developed good communication skills in English, Ewe, Ga, Twi and Dangme and has the ability to interact with people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and educational levels. He is also a traditional leader.
Joseph Ofosu-Kwarteng is a result oriented development professional with over 18 years of innovative (post-masters) experience gained from working on development oriented projects funded by USAID, West African Cocoa Agriculture Project, AfDB, IFAD,JICA, World Bank, OFID and BADEA in Ghana and providing improvement in community level infrastructure, increasing access to credit, building the capacities of partner stakeholders, identifying and providing alternative livelihoods and apprenticeship training to the youth.
He also provides training services for CBOs and FBOs and other private sector business companies. He has extensive experience in the management of projects in a sustainable manner.
He has consulting experience in agribusiness training and facilitation, micro-finance, design, implement monitoring and evaluation of agricultural and rural/ urban development projects.
He has experience in managing donor-funded programs, trade promotion in selected districts and communities.
He is a staff of the Social Investment Fund and a development consultant.
He holds a Common Wealth Executive Masters in Public Administration from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana in the year 2012 and a Bsc. (Honours) in Sociology and Religious Studies from the University of Cape Coast in the year 2000.
He Has built and maintained appropriate networks and coalitions with the development community
Stella Arthur is an administrative professional with more than 20 years of experience in project management and providing extensive administrative support. Renowned for her exceptional organizational abilities, she excels at managing competing priorities to ensure the seamless execution of projects.
Stella holds a Master’s degree in Project Management from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, completed in 2021, along with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies from Wisconsin International University College. She also possesses a General Certificate in Office Management and a General Certificate of Education from Sunyani Technical Institute, providing her with a robust educational foundation.
Throughout her career, Stella has actively pursued professional development, engaging in workshops and courses focused on public speaking, human resource management, and office management. This commitment to continuous learning has equipped her with the skills necessary to navigate a dynamic work environment effectively.
In her current role as an Administrative Officer at the Social Investment Fund, which she began in July 2022, Stella is responsible for preparing reports of meeting, managing office supplies, organizing meetings, and liaising with the project stakeholders. Prior to this position, she served as the Executive Director’s Secretary for over 12 years, where she played a crucial role in supporting the Executive Director, managing schedules, and ensuring effective communication within the organization.