Board Members
Meet the distinguished leaders whose collective expertise, strategic vision, and shared commitment guide.
Mrs Joyce C. A. Engmann
Joyce Engmann is Co-Founder of The Epicentre and Chair of the Governing Board.
She is the principal brain behind the Centre’s creation, inspired by her daughter who had a challenging start in life. Joyce is an IT Professional with over 25 years’ experience gained within Health Care, Investment Banking, Public and Financial sectors.
She has worked in various capacities at senior level with an array of blue-chip companies mainly in the UK but also in Ghana where she rose to become Vice President of an investment bank before moving on to another senior role in the social security sector.
Joyce’s specific areas of specialisation include Data Engineering, Information Security, Database Performance Tuning, Data quality, Risk management, Data Governance.
She is an IS0 27001 Lead implementer ensuring policies and procedures are adhered to. She is a good team builder, has a good work ethic, is passionate about mentoring and knowledge transfer.
She is a member of the NHS Women In Cyber Group, UK Cyber Mentoring Group and ISACA SheLeadsTech. She volunteers with The Habbit Factory, an inclusive arts organisation that involves all members to create performances that challenge stigma in society.
Joyce is passionate about children with disability wherever they are. She supports children with disability to thrive and achieve their full potential in a welcoming, safe and conducive environment.
Dr. Nii Sai Doku
Dr. Doku is an education leader with 30+ years of experience in education systems strengthening, curriculum development, and capacity building.
He has a proven track record in strategic planning, policy design, and stakeholder engagement and is passionate about arts, culture, and literacy. He also has expertise in TVET, higher education, and entrepreneurship education. Dr. Doku is a skilled facilitator and communicator with experience in cross-cultural contexts and has led numerous change initiatives. He is committed to driving positive change in education and community development.
As a seasoned professional with a background in theatre arts, public administration, and education, Dr. Doku brings a unique blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and leadership expertise to drive educational innovation and social impact that lead to positive outcomes. His experience spans multiple sectors, including TVET, higher education, and community development, with a focus on promoting access, equity, and excellence in education.
Throughout his career, Dr. Doku has demonstrated a passion for empowering learners, educators, and communities through capacity building, mentorship, and collaborative partnerships. His work has taken him to various countries where he has had the opportunity to engage with diverse stakeholders, design and deliver innovative programs, and contribute to policy development and implementation.
As a thought leader and practitioner, Dr. Doku is committed to sharing his knowledge and experience to support the development of education systems that are responsive to the needs of learners, communities, and societies. He is also passionate about leveraging education as a catalyst for positive change and social justice, and continues to work towards this goal through his professional endeavours.
Dr. K.O. Odame-Labi, MD
Dr. Odame-Labi is an accomplished medical practitioner with over 30 years’ experience in public health care, coupled with advanced knowledge of infectious disease and tropical diseases such as malaria.His areas of specialisation include:
Public Health Leadership • Hea
A Member of the Ghana Medical Association since 1998, Dr Odame-Labi brings to The Epicentre a passion for looking after children and young people as well as a broad range of professional attributes in the Child Health/Paediatrics field. The seeds of his interest in this area were sown when he served as a House Officer in the Department of Child Health at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra with responsibility for neonates, infants and adolescents.
He followed up with stints in a variety of health establishments where he performed consultations, treatment, admissions, reviews and follow ups. These include St Luke’s Clinic, Maamobi Polyclinic, Swan Medical Laboratory and Ridge Hospital (now Greater Accra Regional Hospital), averaging about 120 to 150 patients daily with approximately 30% being children.
In terms of executive leadership, Dr Odame-Labi has spearheaded health education and counselling services for an NGO (Health Forever Foundation), providing strategic direction and demonstrating innovative thinking.
He also been active as a Lecturer and in the public speaking circuit, having delivered lectures to medical students, nurses, and physician assistants at multiple universities and health institutions since 2005.
Dr Odame-Labi has participated in many Clinical Trials including partnering with Noguchi Medical Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Ghana.
As a Member of the International Association
Dr Odame-Labi is multilingual and has developed and implemented cult
Ms Fiona Laryea
Fiona’s career spans multiple sectors namely, Banking, NGO and Fintech. She has experience in Treasury management from Standard Chartered Bank, Standard Life, Edinburgh, UK and Access Bank Ghana.
She pursued her passion to help those in the low income bracket when she joined MicroEnsure Ghana, to develop insurance solutions for SMEs and households.
She then ventured into Tech, and worked with Rancard Solutions, a software company and Cloud Africa Ghana, a Start-up Fintech company, as Country Manager and Business Head, helping start-ups to scale and develop products for the market.
Currently, Fiona is working to fulfil her commitment to supporting needy families and the underprivileged in society by partnering with NGOs, other groups and organisations to raise their game, improve their management and financial systems, build their capacity for innovation and resilience.
Fiona is also a specialist in accessing finance through various networks on behalf of groups and organisations with whom she shares a common goal: to unearth and develop the talent of brilliant but needy students, help the marginalized in society to find their worth, and also to help reverse the generational trend of stagnation and poverty in our communities.
Dr Danaa Nantogmah
Dr. Nantogmah is an expert in digital finance, innovation, and development policy (including natural resource governance), with over 15 years of cross-sector experience spanning government, private industry, and international development organizations.His work bridges the intersection of financial technology, decentralized finance (DeFi), and inclusive economic transformation in Africa.
He is the Founder of Raia Africa Institute, a Pan-African think tank dedicated to lifelong learning, digital transformation, innovation, and public policy; and an Adjunct Lecturer, High Skies College, Tema.
Dr. Nantogmah has a BA in Philosophy and Religions from the University of Ghana, an MSc in Development and Project Planning, University of Bradford, England and a PhD from Middlesex University, London. Dr. Nantogmah's scholarly work currently focuses on the intersection of digital finance, economic sovereignty, and regional integration in Africa.
As a passionate Nkrumaist and Pan-African thinker, he believes that 21st century technologies particularly blockchain, artificial intelligence, and decentralized finance can finally realise Kwame Nkrumah’s vision of African unity and self-reliance.
Nii L. Engmann
Nii Lomoete Engmann has a varied cross sector career background, having worked in many different operating environments.
He has played a number of high level roles in public, private and NGO organisations and boasts several significant accomplishments.
Highlights of the positions he has held to C-Suite level include:
• MD of a former State Owned Enterprise in Ghana specialising in transport, logistics and allied services
• Executive director of an arms-length company wholly owned by a prominent Royal Borough Council in the UK, leading teams involved in the management and delivery of frontline services as diverse as fleet, passenger services, facilities management, parks and open spaces, libraries, cultural services, sports and leisure, etc
• Coordination of critical support services planning for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games
• Chief Officer in local government (UK), ranging from Strategy & Policy to Operations
• Consultant to a number of public and private entities including a statutory Agency under the Office of the President, Ghana
• Managing an extensive portfolio of capital intensive urban regeneration projects
• Teaching, training, coaching and mentoring.
Among the core skills and areas of expertise Nii brings to this Board role are:
Thought Leadership in Corporate Governance, Policy and Strategic Planning • Business Acumen • Communications • Intergovernmental and Industrial Relations • Risk Management • Fundraising and Donor Relations • Advocacy and Campaigns
His connection to The Epicentre mission is rooted in a longstanding passion for championing the rights and interests of children and young people with special needs. That passion in turn stems not only from direct family experience but also years of active engagement in various related fields: social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, resettlement (of displaced persons), social enterprise and many other areas.