Profile
From passion to plate: Chichi Yakubu’s culinary journey
Driven by her personal weight loss journey and passion for healthy eating, Chichi Yakubu has carved a niche for herself in the culinary industry.
Her dedication and commitment has turned her business, NyoNyo Essentials, to one of Ghana’s most sought-after catering companies in the country.
Born to a Nigerian father and a Ghanaian mother, Chichi grew up in a family of passionate women at Mamprobi Polytechnic.
Her mother, an avid cook, started a small catering business, which Chichi helped manage during vacations.
“From upper primary through to Junior High School, I will close from school to go and help my mother at her small food stand at Sakaman to do the dishes after her customers had eaten.
Her mother was known for her special dough Banku with Okro soup. Her small food joint expanded to become a chop bar where she worked at when on vacations.
She acknowledged that, “this early exposure to entrepreneurship sparked my interest in the culinary industry.”
After her university education, Chichi embarked on a weight loss journey, which led her to explore the culinary side of things.
According to Chichi, her weight loss journey began after she realised in her late teens her family struggle with weight.
“I wasn’t going to just allow it but someway, somehow, I started gaining so much weight in my early twenties and I decided to take action by changing my lifestyle by eating healthy and exercising. That’s what got me interested in meal prepping which eventually became my side hustle,” she narrated.
Chichi later discovered the business potential of healthy food and decided to pursue it. Also her friends were curious about her weight loss strategies, which inspired her to offer meal-prep services at a fee.
With a bold vision and determination, Chichi started small, offering sandwiches, salads, and smoothies.
Leveraging social media marketing, she reached a wider audience and grew her business rapidly.
Today, Chichi is the Chief Executive Officer of Nyonyo Essential, a business that has expanded to cater for weddings, parties, and corporate events with her team providing excellent service, and word-of-mouth referrals have helped her expand her client base.
Again, Chichi has also opened kitchen centres in selected areas, providing healthy food options to Ghanaians.
She mentioned that, her mother has been her number one supporter saying “she had the blue print handed down to me. I started my business in her kitchen, and she also spared me some of her workers when the new people I had hired didn’t show up.
“My then boyfriend and now husband believed in me even when I was not sure to do it full time as I was in corporate Ghana and not doing bad.”
Chichi said one of her biggest challenges was staff retention, adding that she was of the opinion that the work itself was not much of a challenge but the people.
The other thing was stereotyping, saying that, “some years back people look down on food business operators, we were not regarded as professionals with others assuming we are school dropouts or just people who don’t know what we are about.”
But I was determined to change that narrative by handling work with the outmost professionalism, which I have since the beginning of my weight loss journey in 2014.
Chichi is motivated by her faith in Christ, her passion for entrepreneurship, and her commitment to empowering women.
As a wife, mother, and business owner, she strives to create a balance that reflects her vision of an all-rounded woman.
In business, she emphasised, her drive comes from a deep love for the hospitality industry and a desire to help others succeed through the business of catering by NyoNyo, saying that, “My belief that Jesus is Lord guides my decisions, ensuring that integrity, excellence, and purpose shape both my life and business.”
She urged young people, especially young women, who are just starting out in their careers or entrepreneurial journeys to believe in themselves, trust God’s timing, and be willing to put in the work.
Moreover, she said “success does not happen overnight, so stay consistent, be patient, and keep learning. Surround yourself with the right people, mentors, peers, and a support system that challenges and encourages you.”
“Opportunities don’t pause for perfection. While we overthink, others take action. Start where you are, with what you have. The world moves fast—so should we,” – Chichi Yakubu advised
She again added that women should embrace their multifaceted roles without guilt saying “you can be an entrepreneur, a wife, a mother, and a sister’s keeper all at once. Most importantly, stay true to your values and never compromise on integrity. Let your journey reflect both purpose and excellence.”
Chicihi loves to spend quality time away from the noise of life in new places or go on an adventure with her family and friends.
She is a product of Christian home school, Okuapeman secondary, Central University College and Harvard University.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
Profile
Fiator Mordeku III of Awudome Tsito — The bridge builder in chieftaincy and architecture
Fiator Mordeku III of Tsito, known in private life as Kafui Kwame Amegbe, is a unique blend of tradition, service, and modern professionalism.
As a chief, an architect, and a community development advocate, he wears his many hats with humility, driven by a powerful dual motivation: a deep desire to serve and preserve his family’s legacy, and to play an active role in creating positive change in society.
picture with winners of the Energy Commission
High School renewal energy challenge
From a young age, Kafui’s life has been guided by strong values rooted in communal living.
Growing up in a close-knit family and community, he experienced firsthand the power of shared responsibility-where neighbours became second parents, and village elders doubled as life coaches.
Speaking to The Spectator in Accra on Saturday, Fiator Mordeku Ill said one childhood memory that continues to inspire him is when Togbe Gobo Dake XII, Chief of Tsito, bought him a slate for his first day in school.
Today, he serves as Fiator (father to Togbe Gobo Dake XII) to his childhood benefactor-a powerful circle of legacy and service.
“I was enstooled in my late 30s, so this journey is still quite fresh-just under two years in,” he said, by many standards that is considered quite young, especially given the weight and complexity of traditional leadership.
Tsito during his coronation
But I have always believed that leadership is not about how old you are; it is about preparation, mentorship, vision and most importantly, a desire to serve.
According to him, becoming a chief at a young age came with immense responsibility, saying “chieftaincy can be complex and sometimes misunderstood, but my family played a key role in preparing me.”
On the day of his enstoolment, he stood composed, not because it was easy, but because he was aware of the expectations ahead.
The reality, however, only sank in later-when the calls, community issues, and needs began pouring in. For him, leadership is not about titles but about providing proactive and adaptive leadership that reflects the needs of today’s fast-changing society.
Fiator’s reliability with the youth is a defining feature of his reign. “I am not far from the Gen Zs,” he says.
This closeness, according to him, enables him to connect with young people on a peer level, encouraging them to engage in community initiatives and understand the importance of preserving tradition. It is this connection that empowers him to blend traditional authority with modern innovation.
Outside of chieftaincy, Kafui is a passionate architect and advocate of sustainable design.
His love for designing spaces began as early as Junior Secondary School, and today, he continues to inspire with thoughtful architecture that focuses on sustainability, community needs, and the intelligent use of local materials.
To him, architecture is about how people interact with spaces, and one of his proudest contributions is his role in the design of the new Regional House of Chiefs projects across Ghana’s six new regions-a national undertaking that incorporated diverse stakeholder inputs.
His work as an architect and a chief converges in one of his most symbolic projects-a small concrete bridge he built behind his house.
It replaced a dangerous makeshift path used by locals, especially the elderly, to cross a storm drain.
“Now people walk across without fear. That one act of building a bridge, literally and symbolically, pushed me to think more deeply about the many quiet struggles people go through,” he said.
This bridge became the foundation for his greater calling – providing not just charity, but dignity and equity.
Through the Footprints of Glory Foundation, which he founded in 2020 and officially registered in 2021, Kafui has launched impactful initiatives across Tsito and the wider Awudome area.
From funding school fees and apprenticeships to constructing small community bridges and launching an online radio station (soon to become a full community station), the foundation has been a lifeline for many.
It is supported by respected individuals like Dr Yao-Foli Sekyema and Mr Michael Brefo. The foundation’s success lies in collaboration and shared purpose.
A touching example of his impact is the story of a young boy from a neighbouring village who, due to financial hardship, was working on farms despite being a top student. Fiator took him in, supported his education, and
today, the boy is university-bound-a story that encapsulates the spirit of his work.
“I don’t dwell much on legacy,” Fia
tor said. “My focus is on providing real, practical solutions that ease burdens and improve lives.”
Whether it’s mentoring architecture students, building community projects, or planning future academic pursuits.
Currently, he is studying for an MSc in Facilities Management with the aim of uplifting others through service, innovation, and collaboration.
He called on the youth to embrace discipline, humility and a deep willingness to keep learning, urging the youth not to be afraid of hard work or setbacks and that they were part of the journey.
“Find people who inspire you, ask questions, stay curious, and never forget your roots. Where you come from is your foundation, and it will keep you grounded no matter how far you go and we don’t have to wait until we are older to start serving.
He is married with three children and enjoys working out, playing lawn tennis, travelling, listening to music which he says helps him reflect, plan and recharge.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Profile
Nana Barimah Kofi Bio II driving innovation in Kobriso Akyem Abuakwa
Nana Barimah Kofi Bio II, is a visionary leader, a true developmental king whose relentless drive for innovation and sustainable growth, has reshaped the community of Kobriso Akyem Abuakwa in the Eastern Region.
For the past nine years, Nana Barimah Kofi Bio II has defined leadership with impact by taking upon himself to support the community and its environs under the Kyebi Kingdom in the Eastern Region.
This vision and passion to help the community to make life comfortable for the needy and underprivileged led to the establishment of the Kofi Bio Foundation.
The Kofi Bio Foundation, is a non-governmental organisation that was established in 2023 to support the less privileged and promote developmental works in Akyem Kobriso.
Nana Kofi Bio II rose to the throne as the Paramount Chief of Kobriso in Akyem Abuakwa after an installation ceremony supervised by the Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, on October 3, 2016.
He took over from the late Nana Kwaku Bio I.
Known in private life as Mr Isaac Bempong, Nana Kweku Bio II is inspired by the thought of serving his community and fostering growth and development in Akyem Kobriso.
“I believe in kindness and being compassionate. I dedicate my life to making a positive impact in the community and its environs,” he told The Spectator in Accra on Monday.
Nana stated that the development is not just about economic growth but empowering people, bridging gaps and building resilient systems for the future.
Nana Bio II did not however have it all rosy growing up. He endured very difficult and harsh conditions and his parents, who had the going tough made him drop out of school at the Junior High School (JSS) stage at the LA government school in Akyem.
He later moved to Nigeria in 2002 to do business, but that did not go out well. This made him return to Accra in 2003 to sell polythene bags and he became a driver’s mate for about three years.
“I decided to come back home because it seems everything just didn’t go well with me. After that, I joined the older folks in my hometown to do farming and petty trading.”
However, my coming back home proved to be the masterstroke as I was nominated by the family to be king for the area.
Nana Bio II now describes himself as a farmer and a businessman who is doing so well and wants to give back to the society because he didn’t get that opportunity.
“My motive is to help people and communities since we can’t leave it all on the government. I have initiated some of the projects at Akwatia, Kade, Asamankese and Osenase” he told this Reporter.
Nana is personally paying for the school fees of a lot of people through the Kofi Bio Educational Trust Fund which has awarded scholarships to 10 brilliant but needy students in the community.
Currently, he is constructing an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre to empower the youth interested in ICT programmes.
In addition to that, Nana is currently building a three classroom block for the community to complement the few schools in the area.
Stretching his philanthropic work to other sectors, the Nana Kofi BIO Foundation donated furniture and other logistics to the Commander-in-Chief of the Akwatia Police Station.
Also to his credit is a market place constructed at Kobriso to help women trade with ease.
At the Osenase Health Centre in the Eastern Region for instance, the foundation paid hospital bills for patients and also constructed washrooms for staff of the health centre.
For tourism, the Pram Water Falls in Kobriso will serve as a tourist site to create a source of income to the community and also train the youth to become guides to support the project.
For his future aspirations, Nana Kofi Bio promises to redevelop roads in Kobriso so that people can travel easily, adding that Kobriso will be a landmark area of world tourism, because of its rich culture and tourist sites.
Born in Kade to Mr Emmanuel Amoah and Hannah Atiriwaa, Nana Bio II is the fifth among six siblings. After a hard day’s work, Barimah Kofi Bio II prefers to take a walk and tell stories to children.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
