Nene Akwetey-Kodjoe

Nene Akwetey-Kodjoe is Chief of Party of the USDA Food for Progress funded Traceability and Resilience in Agriculture and Cocoa Ecosystems (TRACE) Project in Nigeria implemented by Corus International. He brings to the role more than 20 years of progressive management experience across the cocoa, cashew, handicrafts, rubber, shea, and specialty food sectors in West Africa. He has experience in facilitating product and business development, training, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, access to finance, and market access for SMEs.

As an experienced leader, he is adept at creating and maintaining stakeholder relations, managing partnerships, and driving communications with farmers, input suppliers, financiers, regulators, and government officials through significant work on donor programs funded by USAID, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the African Development Bank (AfDB). He was most the COP for the USD 13M USAID-funded African Cocoa Initiative Phase II (ACI II) project, implemented by the World Cocoa Foundation.

Nene also briefly served as COP (June 2021-November 2021) for the USD 24M USAID West Africa ASSESS project, a Participating Agency Service Agreement between USDA and USAID. Prior to this, he served as a Deputy Chief of Party on ACI II from January 2017 to June 2021, after joining the first phase of the project as Project Coordinator in 2012.

From 2025 to 2012, Nene was instrumental in identifying and helping train entrepreneurs across West Africa for entry into the US market under AGOA through the West Africa Trade Hub. Within this period, he had a brief stint in the fashion industry where he helped launch Africa’s first coordinated ready to wear fashion range for the Woodin brand of the Vlisco Group.