Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, Jr (born 1976), is a Ghanaian consultant, investor, and philanthropist. Isaac is the founder and CEO at Botho Emerging Markets Group, an investment advisory company, founded in 2006 operates globally with offices in Nairobi, Dubai, and Chicago.[1][2] Isaac is the founder of the Amahoro Coalition, an African-led initiative that drives multi-sector leadership to advance economic inclusion for displaced populations.[3][4] Addition to this, between 2013 and 2016, he was the CEO of the African Leadership Network (ALN), a pan-African network of new-generation leaders.[5]
Isaac Kwaku Fokuo Jr | |
|---|---|
| Born | Isaac Kwaku Fokuo Jr 1976 (age 47–48) |
| Nationality | Ghana |
| Alma mater | Hanover College University of Chicago DePaul Driehaus College of Business |
| Occupation(s) | Political economy Advisor Executive |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Organization | Amahoro Coalition |
| Title | Founder and CEO at Botho Emerging Markets Group and Amahoro Coalition |
Biography
editIsaac was born in 1976 in Ghana. In 1994, he attended Hanover College for his undergraduate degree in the U.S, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Affairs in 1998. Subsequently, Isaac enrolled at University of Chicago in the U.S. to pursue a post-graduate degree, he graduated with a master's degree in international relations and regional security in 1999. Since 2005, Isaac holds a master's degree in business administration from Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.[6][7]
Career
editIn 1999, Isaac joined McMaster-Carr Supply Co in the U.S., where he served in various management roles until 2005. In 2013, Isaac was appointed as the CEO at the African Leadership Network (ALN), a pan-African leadership network with the aim of shaping and developing entrepreneurial leaders across Africa, until February 2016.[8] Subsequently, he became vice president at the African Leadership Group, the owner group of ALN, where he was responsible for strategic initiatives, until March 2017.[9]
Business career
editIn 2006, Isaac founded Botho Emerging Markets Group to assist companies with investment strategies, work with entrepreneurs to fund their projects, and advise local governments on international political and economic issues in the global south. The company has offices in Nairobi, Dubai, and Chicago.[5] Through Botho, Isaac has served as a consultant in various sectors including finance, technology, healthcare, and education across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.[10] Sharing his insights on Africa, UAE and China, Isaac featured in several publications including the Arab News, the National, and The East African to mention a few.[11][12][13][14] Since 2020, through Botho, Isaac served as the host of Afro-Catalyst, an online podcast about innovators shaping the future of Africa on the global stage.[15][16] In 2023, Botho signed an MoU with the African Union aimed at conducting research and knowledge production and seeks to connect and strengthens private sector ties between Africa and the Middle East.[17]
In 2013, Isaac co-founded the Sino-Africa Center of Excellence (SACE), a foundation that aims to promote cooperation between China and Africa by generating insights and adding value in the areas of business development, trade and investments, and entrepreneurship, based in Nairobi, Kenya.[18][19] In January 2015, SACE launched the Business Perception Index-Kenya which interviewed over 70 Chinese companies operating in Kenya after which they released report outlining the challenges the businesses were facing, the report featured in World Bank annual documents.[20][21]
Amahoro Coalition
editIn 2021, Isaac founded the Amahoro Coalition, an African-led NGO convening multi-sector actors across the continent to accelerate private sector leadership in driving sustainable market-based interventions that advance economic inclusion for displaced populations.[22] Between 30 November and 2 December 2021, the Amahoro Coalition in partnership with UNHCR and in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda and Inkomoko, organized the first-ever Africa Private Sector Forum on Forced Displacement titled, "36 Million Solutions", in Kigali, Rwanda.[23][24]
In 2022, the Amahoro Coalition in partnership with Ajira Digital Program, trained and mentored refugee population in Kenya about using digital platforms, where refugees from Dadaab and Kakuma camps learned to work online and deliver business solutions for the private sector in Kenya.[25][26]
Since 2023, the Amahoro Coalition with its partners launched the Amahoro Fellowship Program, a 12-month program which gives forcibly displaced persons a platform to cultivate and disseminate their ideas on the world stage.[27] The program also provides funding to the fellows. The Coalition hosted the second edition of the Africa Private Sector Forum on Forced Displacement in Accra, Ghana in November 2023.[28]
Other Considerations
editDuring COVID-19 pandemic, Isaac with Marcia Ashong, Ada Osakwe, and Ory Okolloh among others, formed the Africa Unusual Working Group which was working to find practical solutions to the rising COVID-19 cases on the Africa continent. One of the results, the group advised African leaders to lobby for foreign debt relief to deal with the economic and health issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.[29][30][31]
Isaac is a 2014 ArchBishop Desmond Tutu Fellow. He serves on the board of Ashesi University.[32] He is also a member of the Export-Import Bank of the United States 2023-2024 Advisory Committee and Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee.[33]
References
edit- ^ "Business opportunities expanding for Dubai in Africa". euronews. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Марьина, Анастасия (21 February 2019). "Онлайн-платформа для экспорта товаров из России B2B-Export привлекла $4 млн". rb.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Creative, Wide Eye (20 December 2021). "African Business Leaders Commit to Support Economic Inclusion of Refugees". Refugees International. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Understanding the economic repercussions of the forcibly displaced - CNBC Africa". www.cnbcafrica.com. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ a b Mulupi, Dinfin (3 December 2013). "Meet the Boss: Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, CEO, African Leadership Network". How we made it in Africa. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "The second half of a man's life". Business Daily. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ Murungi, Nelly (31 October 2019). "The journey so far: Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, founder, Botho Emerging Markets Group". How we made it in Africa. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Nsehe, Mfonobong. "Young African Leaders To Watch: Meet Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, CEO Of The African Leadership Network". Forbes. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ Cobblah, Henry (17 December 2019). "8 African entrepreneurs reveal their toughest days on the job". Asaase Radio. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Black People are Dying in the West due to COVID-19 – How Can Africa Avoid the Same Fate". Byline Times. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "The Middle East as a geopolitical alternative for Africa". Arab News. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Fahy, Michael (15 December 2020). "Sudan's private sector to reap dividends of country's removal from US sanctions list". The National. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Africa can bridge digital divide if it scales innovations in e-commerce and agritech". The East African. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "Opinion: why Saudi Arabia is looking across the Red Sea towards Africa – Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". Arabian Business. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Episodes". Afro-Catalyst. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Fukuo, Isaac (1 July 2021). "African countries must adopt bolder approach with private lenders". African Business. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Isaac Kwaku Fokuo's company signs an MoU with the African Union". 12 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "Africa Focus: China-Africa think tank enhances bilateral relations". ug.china-embassy.gov.cn. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Why China's slowdown is good news for Africa". CNN. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/ar/801581468195561492/pdf/WPS7614.pdf
- ^ "Why China's slowdown is good news for Africa". CNN. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ Afele, MAWUSI (29 September 2021). "UNHCR, NGO to hold forum on solutions to Africa's forced displacement crisis". Panafrican News Agency. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Africa-led private sector solutions for Africa's forced displacement". UNHCR Africa. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Africa's private sector leaders to meet in Rwanda for historic forum on solutions to the continent's forced displacement crisis". UNHCR Africa. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Nderi, Samson (19 September 2022). "Ajira & Amahoro Coalition partner to help include refugees in the digital work economy". HapaKenya. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Dadaab and Kakuma refugees set to benefit from digital skills training program". Garowe Online. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "FDP Entrepreneur? Apply For Amahoro Fellowship Program ($100K)". 11 July 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Africa-led private sector solutions for Africa's forced displacement". UNHCR Africa. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "COVID-19: Lobby for debt relief, group tells African leaders". 6 April 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "'Africa Unusual' focuses on practical solutions". alinstitute.org. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "Op-Ed: Africa needs to work together, with all sectors of society to deal with COVID-19". www.cnbcafrica.com. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "Ashesi Foundation welcomes new board member: Isaac Fokuo – Ashesi University Foundation". Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "Export-Import Bank of the United States Board of Directors Announces Members of EXIM 2023-2024 Advisory Committee and Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee | EXIM.GOV". www.exim.gov. Retrieved 22 July 2024.