We can no longer afford to deny the full potential of women.
The world needs to tap into the talent and wisdom of women. Whether the issue is food security, economic recovery or peace, the participation of women is needed now more than ever!

About Us

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We believe that by promoting Fonio, an ancient African super grains to the world, and by increasing the productivity of smallholder farmers in its value chain, an alternative source of income will be generated for farmers which will lead to improved livelihoods, allow them and their households to be more resilient to climate shocks and enhance food security in rural communities.

Incidentally, Fonio is considered a “female crop” in the sense that women are traditionally responsible for the tedious task of harvesting and processing the crop and therefore are likely to be most positively impacted by investments into its value chain. 

Founder

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Founder / Project Director

Fatmata
Binta

  • Winner of the Basque Nobel Culinary World Prize Awarded 2022

  • Winner of the Best Chef Rising Star Awarded 2021

  • Founder of Fulani Kitchen Foundation / Executive Chef - Dine on a Mat

This winning Chef, born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone to first generation Sierra Leonean Fulani of Guinean descent. She is a modern day nomadic chef very much connected to the Fulani culture, customs and cuisine of the biggest Nomadic group in West and Central Africa. She grew up in a Fulani community and the culinary inspiration she sought out has propelled her onto the world scene. Like her ancestors, Chef Binta has traveled many countries, in her case to explore different cooking techniques, ingredients and ways of life.
At Dine on a Mat, Chef Binta combines her nomadic Fulani roots, classical training and love for rural life and nature, to create modern dishes whilst maintaining the simplicity and authenticity of Fulani culture. By recreating a traditional setting, discussing Fulani culture and serving ancient grains, indigenous spices and other exciting West-African ingredients, Chef Binta triggers all your senses and takes you to a whole new world. Her passion to share African nomadic cuisine is based on her experiences as a child growing up during the darkest period of Sierra Leonean history - the civil war. She experienced first hand how food brings people together and pulls down walls. 
Many times during the conflict no one could go out to buy food or food was simply not available. She saw neighbors from different backgrounds contribute, share and prepare meals together to make something out of nothing. The rice they could afford was filled with cockroaches which they had to hand pick, repeatedly wash and blend with bulgur in order to get enough to share for everyone. What she calls creating food for sustenance; learning to create totally new dishes with just a handful of ingredients, sharing and working together, was not only a life saving skill in a war zone, it has actually made her the chef She is today. Chef Binta presents herself as an ambassador for Fulani cuisine and she promotes fonio, an ancient super grain, traditionally grown and consumed in West Africa. Over the last couple of years, fonio, as a result of its similarity to quinoa, has gained more attention in international culinary circles. And rightfully so- it’s gluten free, extremely nutritious, requires minimal water to grow, has a shorter life cycle than its similar foods, is more disease and drought resilient and gives back more nutrients to the soil than other staple crops like rice and maize. This little grain might possibly be one of the answers to food security and climate challenges to come. Binta’s menu almost always features this super grain, fonio, as she continues to promote its value to her guests on the mat and through her Fulani Kitchen Foundation projects which partners with female farmers in the North of Ghana.

Advisory Board

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Advisory Board

Diana
Banuro-Acolatse

Diana relocated to Ghana in 2013 after spending over two decades in Belgium. She is passionate about social entrepreneurship and rural women and has been working in the field of agriculture for the past 15 years of which 10 years active in Ghana. Prior to her relocation, she served as an investment manager for an investment fund, travelling to and from over 10 African countries, financing microfinance institutions and producer organizations. Between 2014 and 2018, she served as the General Manager of a major export company active in the shea supply chain in the northern regions of Ghana where she grew an international supply chain from Ghana through The Netherlands to the rest of the world organizing over 10,000 women in the organic and fair-trade supply chain. In 2018, she joined a holding company where she has been involved in the business development of various agricultural value chains till date. Diana has a background in business economics and speaks Dutch, English, French, Ewe and Sissale.
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Advisory Board

Nana-Aisha
Mohammed

Nana- Aisha Mohammed is the Regional Program Lead West Africa and the Ghana Country Director for the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) recently seconded to the Sustain Africa Initiative as the Regional Program Lead for West and Central Africa.Through formal  education and about a decade of professional experience she has acquired both theoretical and practical knowledge and skills on issues of development. She has worked on various development projects and in different capacities with solid grounding in project management

Nana-Aisha has good experience in the fields of agriculture, education, health and other social development experience with a focus Budget and Policy analysis, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, budget monitoring, activity implementation and coordination, research, and advocacy. She led the implementation of projects and programs with organizations like SEND West Africa, USAID, OXFAM, Trust Africa, and IBP. She served as the civil society lead on the CAADP Non-State Actors platform for 3 years. Her area of expertise has taken her to West African Countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria to provide technical support to governments, Civil Society as well as SMEs. She has been a resource person on various platforms especially in the agricultural sector and has been involved in training facilitation for SMEs, Input and Out dealers, farmers and other actors along the agricultural value chain. She has very good understanding of both business and social interventions.

Nana-Aisha is an IFC certified trainer and Project Management Professional, holding a Master of Science Research in International Migration and Refugee Studies with a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies. 

Finance Director

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Finance Director

Ato Bentsi-
Enchill

Ato is currently a Director at Black Adam Africa Capital Management (BAACAP), a boutique private equity and transactional advisory firm, helping Africa-focused companies raise capital. Since inception, BAACAP has guided its clients to investments from some of Africa’s most noteworthy institutional investors.

Ato has been involved in the financial services industry for over 4 years now, assisting firms from a wide range of sectors to engage with investors. Through these activities, he has built his skills in conducting due diligence, constructing, analyzing and leading term sheet negotiations, and in investor relations.

His experience leading engagements on the behalf his clients makes him a highly regarded advisor on transactions from early stage investments to growth capital injection. In line with this, he is a Venture Partner at three of the most prolific early stage investors, both in Africa and globally. He holds a number of board roles including serving on the Advisory Committee the International Finance Corporation (IFC) EXCEED Program aimed at improving socio-economic conditions for communities hosting oil, gas and mining projects in Ghana, Guinea, Kenya and the Ivory Coast. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the Nubuke Foundation, Ghana’s premier visual art and cultural institution.

Ato holds a Bachelors in International Relations and French & Francophone Studies from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. As a member of the Global Shapers Community, previously serving as Vice Curator, he is passionate about building global networks to share resources, explore business opportunities to drive collective growth. He’s an avid reader and the rest of his free time listening to podcasts, visiting art galleries, and exploring new ideas and opportunities.

Contact Us


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info@fulanikitchenfoundation.com

Fulani Kitchen Foundation
2022