Board Chair

Professor Anna Lartey, Ph.D.

Chair

Prof. Lartey is the former Director for Nutrition at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), past President of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) as well as its 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. She attended the University of California, Davis in California as a Fulbright student and received her Doctorate in International Nutrition. She has extensive experience in global nutrition policy development and implementation. Additionally she is a consultant and advisor to various international nutrition and development organizations. She is a member of multiple scientific advisory boards in nutrition and and food security and serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for VACC.

Director

Mr. Kwesi Abbey Sam

Mr. Sam is a Civil Engineer who served as the Chief Director of the Ministry of Roads and Highways (now Ministry of Transportation) from September 1993 to December 2000. He is the current Chairman of the Board of the Engineering Council of Ghana, and a Lay Preacher in the Methodist Church of Ghana. He is member of VACC Board of Directors.

Director

Professor George Acquaah-Mensah, PhD.

Prof Aqcuaah-Mensah is Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at MCPHS University with over 20 years experience in pharmacology, toxicology, and computational biology. He integrates machine learning to diseases like cancer and addiction. A licensed Pharmacist, he holds a PhD from the University of Texas and is the Founding President of the Convention for Biomedical Research, Ghana. He is a member of VACC Board of Directors.

Company Secretary

Mr. Eric Boateng Siaw

Mr. Siaw is a final-level candidate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAG). He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting with First Class Honors from the University of Cape Coast and pursued further academic training at the University of Birmingham, UK. He holds the FMVA (Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst) and BIDA (Business Intelligence & Data Analyst) certifications from the Corporate Finance Institute. He trained as an auditor with Ernst and Young Ghana, where he contributed to high stakes audit assignments across sectors such as insurance, telecom, and financial services. Eric serves as the Manager for Business Solutions at Nexus BI and Company Secretary for VACC on behalf of Nexus BI.

Founder, CEO & Director

Prof Francesca Colecraft Dwamena, MD, FACP, MPH

Prof. Dwamena is a practicing General Internal Medicine Physician and Professor with a distinguished academic career. She is former Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University, USA, a recognized expert in healthcare communication research, and a 2024 Physician Hall of Fame Inductee for outstanding contributions to University of Michigan Health-Sparrow and its community.

She is a product of Aburi Girls Secondary School, Ghana; Wellesley College, in Massachusetts, USA; Howard University College of Medicine in Washington DC, USA; and is a graduate of the Program for Chairs of Clinical Services at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge Ma, USA.

Prof. Dwamena founded Vibrant Aging Community Center (VACC) Ltd Company, to address critical elderly care needs in Ghana. She is VACC CEO and a member of VACC Board of Directors. She divides her time between the United States and Ghana.

Co-Founder & Director

Dr. Catherine Colecraft Sarbah, MD, MPH

Dr. Sarbah is a Medical Doctor specializing in Infectious Diseases, practicing in the USA, with over 20 years practice experience. She is an ABIM (American Board of Internal Medicine) Diplomate, double boarded in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Comprehensive education from distinguished institutions including The George Washington University (Bachelor of Science in Biology), DC, USA, Howard University College of Medicine in Washington DC (Doctor of Medicine), and University of South Carolina Norman J School of Public Health (Master of Public Health in Health Promotion and Education).

She is co-Founder of VACC, and a member of it’s Board of Directors.

Co-CEO

Dr. Esi Adu Afarwuah, DrPH.

Dr. Esi Adu Afarwuah (widely known Dr. Esi K Colecraft), has built her career at the intersection of nutrition, public health and community empowerment. A Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Ghana, her academic journey has taken her from Cornell University in New York, to The Pennsylvania State University, and later to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she earned her Doctor of Public Health in International Health. Driven by a passion to improve the well-being of vulnerable populations, she returned to Ghana in 2004 following her postdoctoral training at Iowa State University, and served as Project Manager on a USAID-funded initiative aimed at strengthening child nutrition in rural communities.

Since joining University of Ghana in 2009, Dr. Colecraft has continued to pursue work that bridges disciplines and responds to real world needs. In 2017, her collaboration with Dr. Francesca Dwamena examining the support needs of older adults in Ghana provided provided important groundwork for establishing the Vibrant Aging Community Center. Hence her work reflects her enduring dedication to forging systems that support well-being across the life course. She is co-CEO of VACC and its past Interim Director of Operations.

Finance Director

Mr. KNT Danquah

Mr. KNT Danquah is a product of the University of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). Previously Management Accounting Officer, then Logistics Manager, Ghamot/Toyota Ghana. Currently retired Non-Executive Director, Toyota, Ghana. He serves as Finance Director of VACC.