Our people

Sierra Leonean Henry Thomas has been living in Bermuda since 2006 and serves as Chairman of Jumuiya Ya Afrika.

An Accountant, he works in the financial services industry on the island. He has also held several posts in non-profit organizations in Bermuda.

Prior to Bermuda, Henry lived and worked various countries and industries across Europe for over 20 years.

Henry is enthusiastic about the contributions the local African community can make to expand the knowledge and experience of Bermudians to African culture.

Nana Otu Turkson is a founding member of JYA and holds the Secretary position.

Nana holds various roles in multiple not-for-profit organizations both in Bermuda and Ghana.

Nana is a Chartered Commercial Property Surveyor and a Barrister and currently works for the Government of Bermuda.

Nana is the Administrative Secretary for the Honorary Consulate of Ghana in Bermuda where he assists with representing Ghana’s interest and has given presentations on Ghana at various fora in Bermuda.  He is passionate about promoting the synergies between Ghana and Bermuda to the mutual benefit of both countries.

Prior to moving to Bermuda, Nana lived in the UK where he was also actively involved with Ghanaian groups and organisations. With the JYA platform, Nana has been key in promoting African events and activities and has together with others in the community, fostered good relationships between Africa and Bermuda.

Priscilla Ogamba is a founding Trustee of JYA and holds the Treasurer position.

Priscilla has over 10 years’ experience in financial audit, internal control reviews, risk assessment and reporting, performance audits, tax reviews, governance and compliance review, business consulting, financial analysis and accounting of both public and private sectors, with an in-depth knowledge of Public Sector Accounting Standards, IFRS and US GAAP.

Priscilla currently works as an external auditor in the Government of Bermuda. As part of her role as treasurer, she attended the Charity Compliance Officer Training offered by the Department of Registry General.

Priscilla organizes and actively participates in the various JYA events.

During her spare time, Priscilla volunteers in community and school activities where her children attend and also takes part in various running and social events.

Priscilla is passionate in learning about the various African and Bermuda cultures. Her dream is to one day visit all the African countries.

William Randolph is a JYA trustee. He is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and has over 15 years’ experience in the (re)insurance sector. William currently serves as Senior Vice President & Head of Reserving in a reinsurance company.

He previously held various leadership positions in different companies in Canada, UK and Bermuda.  He served as Chairman of the Donations Committee at Tokio Millennium Re and managed donations programs to provide funding to various charities in Bermuda.

William is passionate about providing mentoring to young individuals in Bermuda wishing to pursue a career in the (re)insurance sector.

Rotimi Martins created, taught, produced, directed and performed in various media in the industry; stage, radio, television and film.

He worked in Nigeria, Wales, USA and Bermuda with clientele ranging from governments, schools and churches to private and professional production companies.

He is the former Chairman of the Ruth Seaton James Center for the Performing Arts (Bermuda), a member of the Sandys Parish Council and a former member of the Board of Directors of CedarBridge Academy. He is also a Director of CaribCash (Bermuda) Ltd, owns Caesar’s Pharmacy and is a member of various performing arts organizations.

Phoka has been working in the Fintech space for over 10 years, with experience in multiple business sectors.

Phoka is currently working in Bermuda as a Senior Business Consultant.

Phoka is the co-founder of Kgoshigadi, an organisation in South Africa that educates young women about their period and helps bridge the gap between young disadvantaged girls who cannot afford sanitary towels.

Jean Akol is a JYA trustee. Jean is an experienced Finance and Investments professional, most recently serving in the (Re)insurance sector of Bermuda’s Financial Services industry.

Ugandan born Jean started his professional career in Uganda with PwC in 2012 before moving to Bermuda in 2016 to join KPMG and has since served in various roles and capacities within the reinsurance and financial services industry on the Island.

Jean currently serves on the Boards of the Hamilton Rotary Club as Vice President and as a member of the Organizing Committee for the Ag show Limited, the organizers of the Ag show, one of Bermuda’s oldest cultural events. As part of the Rotary Club, Jean has participated tremendously in numerous fundraising activities to support various causes in Bermuda and globally with specific focus on literacy and health care needs.

In 2019, Jean was recognised with a Paul Harris Fellow award by the Rotary District of 7230 (New York City Boros of Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island as well as Westchester county and Bermuda.) for his excellent services to the district- specifically in regard to youth leadership activities and sponsoring the expansion of the Rotary Interact Club in Bermuda high schools.

Zimbabwean born and raised protagonist Tinashe C. Johnson is a JYA Trustee who has experience serving with multiple non-profit organizations.

Prior to moving to Bermuda, she was a Health Leadership Fellow through the Connecticut Health Foundation. While serving as a Chief Dental resident at the Albert Einstein Bronx Lebanon Residency program, Tinashe founded Lotus Dental Outreach which conducts culturally sensitive & relevant dental outreach programs primarily in Zimbabwe and other under-served communities.

Tinashe moved to Bermuda in 2015 with her Bermudian husband Jeremy and they have 3 energetic toddlers who scream “Afrika” every time they see anything that remotely looks like a map! When not providing oral care or taking late night calls to liaise in solving challenges across the Atlantic, Tinashe enjoys spending giggle time with her family, eating all kinds of food and reading.

Ms Ronita Teye-Botchway is a Bermudian. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Behavioral Science University from Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA and a BSc (Hons) in Quantity Surveying from Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK.

Having been married to the late Dr Leonard Teye-Botchway, a Ghanaian, their union produced three handsome sons: Adlai, Addon and Addi. She was the founder of Charis Foundation, a charity that allowed her to give back to her community.

A major yearly event that the foundation organized is the Annual Eye Classic Run/Walk race where the proceeds were distributed to various local charities.

Ms Teye-Botchway is also the owner and Director of Bermuda International Institute of Ophthalmology. The company was founded by her and her late husband, Dr Teye-Botchway. She also has a passion for the built environment and is actively working in various construction projects. She also enjoys cooking for family and friends, a talent that was nurtured by her late mother of Reid’s Restaurant.

She finds joy in serving. Behind her vivacious personality is a tender heart for helping others. Ms Teye-Botchway is a devout Christian who has an intimate relationship with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Amoti Nyabongo has been engaged in formal community service since 1990 when he became a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. an international community service organization. As a member, he’s held the position of Social Action Chair, which involved organizing food drives, voter registration campaigns and coordination of the chapter’s Achievement Week program which recognizes local community leaders for their service. He has also held the position as Acting Basileus (Chair) for the chapter located here in Bermuda.

Prior to his early retirement from working with the City of New York as a police officer, he volunteered to teach computer based adult literacy classes within the Brooklyn Public Library system. These classes were designed to prepare students to enter the computer-based job market, GED preparation and English proficiency. He was then asked to join the Katherine Gibbs School’s Criminal Justice program as an Adjunct Instructor. While there, he obtained his master’s degree in Business and held the position of Chairperson for the Criminal Justice Program and the Business Program. He then went on to become a facilitator with the New York Simon Wiesenthal Center for Tolerance.

Since relocating to Bermuda he has worked at the L.F. Wade International Airport as the Air Ops Manager Designee and with the Hon. Neletha Butterfield MPE, MP JP at C.A.R.E. Computer Center as a GED instructor. Presently he works as an instructor within the Bermuda Prison system facilitating classes in GED Studies, Small Business Entrepreneurship and Personal Development. He is also a member of the Ministry of Education’s Learning First Redesign Team which is focused on restructuring the academic framework in the public school system. The goal is to prepare Bermudian students, educators and administrators to produce individuals that are able compete in the various markets on a global scale.

Amoti comes with a wealth of skills regarding adult education, transformational skills and life coaching, curriculum administration and leadership ability with a track record of positive measurable results. He has given lectures and seminars on success and motivation to high school students, college students and civic groups locally, in the US and abroad.

Amoti is an FAA Licensed Commercial Pilot for Airplane and Helicopter and holds a master’s Degree in Business Administration. He has also served on the Hamilton Parish Council since 2015 and was appointed Chair of the council February 2018. As Chair some of his duties are to maintain oversight for the Parish Council’s College Scholarship program, community improvement projects, the Parish Cottage, and liaise with various government entities (Office of the Auditor General and Information Commissioner’s Office.)

Amoti has been a cohost on radio talk show ‘The 0 Zone’ which discussed career and life issues we face. He has also been featured on leadership podcasts and is a freelance journalist. He is a life-long learner, an avid reader and is passionate about visiting Africa and encourages others to visit as well. These experiences give Amoti a wealth of unique knowledge regarding team building, change management and leadership.

Sosina has more than 20 years of business entrepreneurship experience and holds a bachelor’s degree in banking and financial support services. She started her career in Ethiopia in 1996 and moved to Bermuda in 2000. After a transitional period in accounting services for a variety of local managers, Sosina eventually co-founded her own practice in 2009 under the banner of Emperial (Management) Bermuda Ltd. Which serviced various small and medium companies in accounting, human resources, and business development.

Since 2011, Sosina has broadened her areas of entrepreneurship by reinvesting in her original passions for hospitality, beauty and philanthropy.

Her entrepreneur journey added a Money Service Business in May of 2019 and become the only Western Union Agent in Bermuda.

Dr. Sylvanus Nawab is a pediatrician in working in Bermuda for the past 10 years. Previously, he served on the board of the Bermuda Diabetes Association and currently at the Bermuda Health Council.

Born in Ghana  and having spent his formative years in Cuba and working in the Caribbean, Dr Nawab comes with a depth of understanding of the diasporan culture. He has volunteered in Ghana, Guatemala and Haiti in medical outreach programs.

Dr. Nawab is married to a Bermudian. He is passionate about equitable community health and finding solutions to economic disparity. One of his passions is bridging Africa and the diaspora through art and culture.

In his spare time he gardens and develops his talent in the kitchen, makes hot sauces and jams, and loves to collect art.