Esther Naa Ankrah (she/her)
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Esther Naa Ankrah is an inspirational and imaginative leader who leverages her skills and expertise to empower women and youth in her community. As Executive Director and Co-Founder of Yayra-Si Youth Foundation, she wants to create, stimulate, and amplify empowered voices of young women to demand respect, equity, and inclusion. She is committed to making this vision a reality through strategic planning, viable projects, and conscious partnership efforts.
Naa has gained over 15 years of formal education and experience in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). She has worked extensively as a trainer for Society for Women Against AIDS in Africa (SWAA), the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA), Women in Law and Development in Africa Foundation (WILDAF) Ghana, Women Action Group, and Youth Inclusive Entrepreneurial Development Initiative for Employment (YIEDIE). Collectively, she has trained over 800 female beneficiaries in sewing and fashion design, bead-making, soap manufacturing, and interior decoration, and hopes to continue doing so in communities that most require support.
In her free time, Naa enjoys travelling, teaching, and public speaking.
Eric Mac-Dorgbey (he/him)
Chief Financial Officer
Eric Mac-Dorgbey has over seven years in the finance and accounting field, and his professional experience includes developing schedules and budgets for current and future projects, supervising staff to ensure that they comply with project guidelines, and also providing financial advisory to SMEs.
He is currently pursuing a MSc in Development Finance. Eric Mac-Dorgbey believes in development and in teamwork and he likes watching and playing football as his hobby. He has a passion of working with youth and helping them realized their full potential, and this is the main reason why he is dedicated to YSYF.
James Asumah (he/him)
Project Manager
James Asumah is a Ghanaian professional with a passion for community development and advocacy. In 2017, he received a BBA in Accounting at the Ghana Technology University College. Following convocation, he started his career with Zenith bank Ghana limited, for National Service.
He later took on an administrator role at the NGO OMANIAE Ghana, where he worked to reduce illegal African migration to Europe. In 2019, he founded his own NGO, Numen Planners, where he supervised a team of 1,000 coordinators to provide vocational training to youth across Ghana. Upon hearing about YSYF in 2020, James became immediately interested in its mission, and wanted to assist the organization in achieving its goals.
He values collaboration for innovation, and believes that the best work is the one done with a good heart. Outside of work, James’ interests lie in computer and music.
Alimatu Moro (she/her)
Events Assistant
Alimatu Abra-Moro is passionate about giving back to and mentoring youth. As a professional caterer, she has over 20 years of experience cooking for thousands of children in schools. She is excited to use her technical skills and experience in event planning to support the activities of YSYF.
Helena Nartey (she/her)
Community Outreach Assistant
Helena Nartey is a young leader from the Doryumu community with an interest in advocating for the issues of young girls. She is excited to support YSYF by advising on community needs, and connecting the team with key resources