Council Members – Data Link Institute of Business & Technology

Prof John Bright Aheto (Council Chair)

Prof. Aheto is an Accountant, Internal Auditor, Financial Expert, Lawyer, and Management Expert. He teaches Accounting, Governance, and Finance

Prof. Aheto is a product of Zion College of West Africa (1965), Winneba Secondary School (1967), University of Ghana (1970), New York University (1978), Faculty of Law (UG, 2003), Ghana Law School (2006). He holds the following: BSc. (Admin), MBA, M.Phil., ABD, CPA, CMA, CFA, CIA, LLB, BL, CA, CGFM, FCIA, FCMC, FICB

Prof. Aheto has been in academia since 1971. He is an International Professor, Trainer, and Consultant. He has taught in the USA (York College, Hunter College, Florida A&M University, Pace University, Brooklyn College) for 26 years.

On his return to Ghana in 1996, he has taught in UGSB; WUCG; GIMPA; PUC; KNUST; CUC; MUCG; and KUC

He was one of the experts who designed the ECOWAS-WAHO Young Professional Internship Programme (YPIP) in 2001 and has taught the Management and Leadership models for each year since then.

Prof. Aheto is amongst many others the Former Vice-Chancellor of KUC; former

Vice-Rector of GIMPA, former Dean of School of Business Central University College, the First Chair of Banking at KNUST Business School and Chair of the Centre for Management Research and Professional Development (UG), Chair and member of various corporate boards, including Central University, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Chair and member of many National Accreditation Board (NAB) Business visitation teams, External Examiner for CESAG and ISM in Senegal and the University of Education, Winneba (UEW). He is an expert in SME and HR Development, Corporate Governance, Strategic Planning, Leadership, and Management, a Consultant for ECOWAS.

Prof. (Mrs.) Smile Gavua Dzisi

(Former, Vice-Chancellor, Koforidua Technical University)

Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Koforidua Technical University

Smile Dzisi is a renowned academic, entrepreneurship and gender consultant. She received a Master of Public Administration from the University of Ghana and a PhD in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia, where she also received an award for the most distinguished PhD thesis.

She started her working career as a tutor in St. Roses Senior High School. She has had a distinguished academic career at the Koforidua Technical University, where she held several senior management positions, including Director of Research; Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development; Dean, School of Graduate Studies; and Vice-Rector. She became the first Associate Professor produced by the University.

Prof. (Mrs.) Dzisi is an outstanding researcher and author. She has also provided consultancy to UNFPA and the World Bank as well as government and private agencies. Prof. Smile Dzisi is the first female to be appointed Rector of a polytechnic in Ghana and she has led the transformation of Koforidua Polytechnic into Koforidua Technical University where she served as the first Vice-Chancellor. She champions the cause of women empowerment and Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET). Under her leadership, Koforidua Technical University was deservedly recognized by the African Union as a Centre of Excellence for TVET.

She is the Vice-Chairperson of the Commonwealth Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa and is a member of many international and national boards, including the National Committee for Centralized Universities Application and Processing Service, the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), the Ghana Examinations Committee (WAEC Board), the National Accreditation Board (NAB).

Prof. Edwin Clifford Mensah

Prof. Edwin Clifford Mensah is an economics professor at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP). He received his Masters and PhD in Economics from North Carolina State University. He joined the School of Business of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2004 as a visiting Professor and later as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Economics in 2005. He is also a visiting Professor of Economics at Valley View University and Data Link Institute, Ghana-West/Africa and the author of the book: “Economics of Technology Adoption: A Simple Approach.”

Prof. Mensah’s research interests include applied microeconomics, consumer economics, agricultural economics and technology adoption. As a researcher for the Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion (IMTFI), UC Irvine, Cliff’s research focuses on the economics of the use of mobile platforms for monetary transactions (emoney) as well as the economic impact of currency modification and money management among Ghana’s ultra-poor. He has authored and co-authored articles appearing in several proceedings and peer-reviewed journals including the; Journal of Economic Psychology, Journal of Consumer Policy, Journal of Business Strategies, Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics, Journal of Applied Business and Economics, Research in Business and Economics Journal, Journal of Information & Knowledge Management, International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development and the International Journal of Electronic Finance—to mention a few. Prof. Mensah also serves as an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Sustainable Strategic Management.

Cliff has received several awards and recognitions for his work—most notably, UNCP’s Peter B. Vail Award for excellence in scholarship and teaching (2010 & 2018 recipient). He has served as the Chair of the Department of Economics, Finance and Decision Sciences at UNCP, and currently serves as the Director of AACSB Accreditation for the School of Business.

Thomas Boansi-Sarpong

Mr Thomas Boansi-Sarpong, the Financial Controller of CalBank Limited. He is a Chartered Accountant and a holder of an MBA in Finance. He has rich experience in the financial sector, strong knowledge and appreciation of the macro-economic environment and linkages to the monetary policy. Thomas’s employment record dates back to 1996 at West Coast Construction Ltd through Baffour Awuah and Associates in 2001 and from 2005 worked as a finance manager with BCM International in Niger till August 2006 when he resigned to take an appointment at CalBank Limited in September 2006. Thomas is a director of CalBank Nominees Limited.

Hod Anyigba, PhD, FCE.

Hod Anyigba is an Economist and strategist with research and consultancy interests in the areas of Strategy Formulation, Loan Recovery, Policy Analysis, Micro & Macroeconomics, Training and Development, Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Leadership.

Hod has invaluable academic and industry experience both in the African and European contexts. For his tertiary education, Hod read an undergraduate degree in economics, a master’s degree in International Economics and a PhD in economics – all in St. Petersburg, Russia. In academia, he has risen steeply through the University ranks of Teaching Assistant to Aggregate Professor under 7 years. To date, Hod is the only African to have completed his doctoral studies at the prestigious St. Petersburg University of Management and Economics.

He is a fellow at the Institute of Chartered Economists of Ghana (FCE). Hod has done consultancy works for both national and global organizations such as the International Trade Union Confederation, the European Union (EU), OmniBank -Ghana, Kasapreko (Royal Crown Packaging)-Ghana, the Africa Trade Union Development Network, National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP) – Ministry of Business Development – Ghana, TenStep, etc. He serves on several Boards and Committees both in Ghana and Abroad.

Lawrence Akosen

Lawrence Akosen has 16 years of experience in Telecommunication having done Customer Experience, Business process reengineering and development, Quality Assurance and Training, Social Media, Customer Journey Mapping (Technical and Advanced expertise). He is also a Motivational Speaker. He holds a B.A, M.A and MPhil Degree in Information Studies from the University of Ghana, a Mini MBA in Telecoms from Telecoms Academy and a Master’s certificate in Project Management.  He possesses advanced knowledge in customer experience planning and strategy, strong strategic capabilities, exceptional people management skills and possesses great analytical skill.

Mr Akosen has strong managerial and leadership abilities. He has been exposed to several managerial courses/programmes and facilitates two (2) programmes at the MTN Academy – MTN Brand Ambassador programme, REACH- Supervisory Development Programme. He has grown from a personality that was once a debt collections officer and risen through the ranks – from Supervisor/Coordinator (Debt Collections), Manager- customer intelligence, and currently occupying the position of a Senior Manager, Customer Experience. His current interest relates to Experience Design and Innovation, Digital and business transformation, Customer Journey mapping and creation.

Mrs Ingrid Ansah

Ingrid Ansah (Mrs.) had her Secondary School education at Christ Church Secondary Guyana. She then went on to work with the Ministry of Education, Social Development and Culture for several years before moving to the UK.

Mrs Ansah studied for a Degree in Applied Economics and Accounting for Management from the University of North London, UK, MA in Applied Educational Leadership and Management from the University of London. UK., MSc. In Education with Accra Institute of Technology (AIT).

She had held various positions within the Public Sector offices in the UK for many years before settling in Ghana. She is one of the founding members of Data Link Institute of Business and Technology.

Over the years she has held several positions in Data Link Institute of Business and Technology where she gained valuable experience and is currently the Vice-President – Institutional Advancement.