africa product development

 
Gerrit Valkenburg

CEO & partner

Gerrit is an experienced entrepreneur with a vast Africa experience. His visionary view on new markets brought him to different parts of the world over the last 25 years. As a structural engineer he developed and managed different successful companies in e.g. DR congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Israel, Germany, Holland, U.K.,…

By founding APD, Gerrit crowned his successful career by giving something back to the continent that gave him so much: Africa.

A strong belief in sustainability and the conviction that Africa is the place to be for the next decades, were the main motivations for Gerrit to move to Ghana and establish APD.

Jorre Appel

CFO & partner

Jorre, a well experienced player in the financial industry, has joined APD as partner and Chief Financial Officer in 2010. Jorre will support the company with his access to the worldwide capital markets and his experience in financial structuring and management.

Jorre holds a master degree in financial and business sciences and a MBA. A strong management background in different multinationals and the experience of setting up some companies himself are guarantees for a rigid financial management of APD.

Kjell Tahon

Business development manager & partner

Kjell joined APD early 2011. After 10 years of a well diversified experience in the European insurance & private placement market as managing partner and administrator of several companies. Kjell enriches his activities with the development of business and investment projects in Africa.

Kjell has a master degree in communication sciences and a post-graduate specialization in marketing management, market research and quantitative techniques.

Zubeiru Salifu

Technical director

Zubeiru held different CEO positions in Ghanaian engineering and electrical companies. His experience in different African countries and his thorough knowledge of social networks and mores, is the foundation of his professional succes. Zubeiru is already involved in the development of APD since its incorporation. His daily activities consist of the pragmatic issues that go together with the different projects. 

Dr. Kwame Osafredu Asubonteng

Director agricultural affairs

Osafredu is professor and research manager at the Soil Research Institute, Ghana. He holds a Msc. soil science, soil fertility and plant nutrition from the Timiryezev Academy in Moscow and a Phd. in bio environmental science from Tottori University Japan.

His broad experience and dozens of publications in Climate change studies, environmental impact assesment, soil degradation and fertility and water management studies in inland valley systems are an important support for the set up and the management of the palm oil project since 2008.

He is member of the Soil Science Society of Ghana, the International Union of Soil Sciences, the Soil Science Society of Africa and the West African Association of Rice Scientists.