Philomena Asante

Philomena Asante is a Ghanaian agribusiness entrepreneur, business development professional and sustainability advocate with over a decade of experience in agribusiness, food processing, entrepreneurship development, food safety and sustainable value-chain development.

She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Minana Services Ltd, a Ghanaian-owned agribusiness focused on sustainable oil palm cultivation, processing, trading and value addition. Through her leadership, the company works with smallholder farmers and other stakeholders to promote sustainable agricultural production, improve livelihoods and strengthen participation in agricultural value chains.

As an Executive Member of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Accra, Philomena brings practical experience from the agribusiness and food-processing sectors to the Association. She is also a member of the AGI Environment Sustainability Cluster, where her interests and experience in sustainable production, climate-smart agriculture, environmental stewardship and responsible value-chain development contribute to broader conversations on the growth of Ghanaian industry.

Her work has involved building partnerships with farmers, communities, government institutions, development organisations and private-sector actors to advance sustainable agriculture, food safety, women's economic empowerment and inclusive economic growth.

Philomena has extensive experience in entrepreneurship training, coaching and mentorship. She has worked with programmes supported by the Mastercard Foundation, Young Africa West Africa and the BizBox Project for Women Entrepreneurs, providing training and mentorship in entrepreneurship, agribusiness, food processing, food safety, financial literacy and business development. She has trained and mentored more than 300 women entrepreneurs and over 120 young people, as well as supporting SMEs, farmer groups, women-led enterprises and startups across Ghana.

Through Minana Services Ltd and other initiatives, she has also supported more than 150 smallholder farmers across the Ashanti, Eastern and Central Regions with training in Good Agricultural Practices, sustainable production, market access, aggregation and environmental stewardship. Her work in sustainable palm oil production has included training more than 500 farmers and value-chain stakeholders in sustainable agriculture, health and safety, traceability, food safety, environmental stewardship and climate-smart farming.

A strong advocate for sustainable and circular production systems, Philomena has worked on initiatives that promote the conversion of agricultural and palm-oil processing waste into useful products such as biofuel, organic fertiliser, animal feed, charcoal briquettes and biogas. Her approach combines commercial enterprise development with environmental responsibility and inclusive participation.

Philomena holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Ghana and an MBA in Global Sustainability and Entrepreneurship from Università del Sacro Cuore, Italy, in partnership with the Catholic Institute of Business and Technology (CIBT). She has also participated in international academic and professional engagements, including an academic secondment at Abertay University in Dundee, Scotland, under the MamaGlobal Project, and has contributed to research on Ghanaian women in business and sustainability.

Beyond her role with AGI, Philomena is involved in several professional and industry networks, including the Association of African Entrepreneurs, the Society for Human Resource Management (Ghana) and the E4Impact Africa Alumni Network. She is also a participant in initiatives supporting forest-positive businesses, sustainable palm-oil development and investment linkages for African enterprises.

Through her leadership in agribusiness, entrepreneurship development and sustainability, Philomena Asante is committed to strengthening Ghana's agricultural and industrial value chains, creating opportunities for women and youth, supporting smallholder farmers and promoting businesses that deliver both economic and environmental value.