Our Leadership Team

Justin Thomas Kaudjhis Acahoua is an award-winning entrepreneur and executive with over 20 years of robust experience spanning international trade, corporate governance, telecommunications, and agribusiness. He has a proven track record in structuring legal frameworks, negotiating corporate partnerships, and managing international supply chains, alongside recognized expertise in brand architecture, digital marketing, and managing asset-light operational models. Current Leadership Founder & Executive Manager | Zama Jerky LLC (USA) (Since 2025): Directs the global commercial vision, corporate governance, and execution of the company's U.S. market strategy. Oversees contract manufacturing partnerships with USDA-certified (beef jerky) and FDA-certified (plant-based lines) co-packing facilities, ensuring rigorous quality and safety compliance. Manages global sourcing, logistics, and vendor relations to maintain operational efficiency under an asset-light model. Professional Experience & Key Positions Co-Founder & Executive Director | Gatonini SARL & Gatonini Industries (Agribusiness) Official Regional Representative | MILLBÄKER SAS (France): Appointed as the corporate representative for French-Speaking Black Africa, managing B2B relations and ingredient sourcing for a premier leader in the wheat and flour industry. Commercial Agent & Market Representative | Satlink Communication (Israel): Managed strategic commercial operations for radio and television broadcasting via satellite. Honors & Philanthropy PADEV Award Laureate: Honored in Rwanda (Young Entrepreneurs Category) with the Prix Africain de Développement for outstanding contributions to economic growth and enterprise development in Africa.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Highly specialized logistics and supply chain professional with an advanced academic background in transport and commercial geography. Fluent in multiple languages, including English, French, and German, he brings expert-level capabilities in spatial market analysis, distribution routing optimization, and international trade flows. He is responsible for orchestrating the strategic movement of goods, materials, and finished products within Zama Jerky LLC's operational network. CURRENT ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES AT ZAMA JERKY LLC (USA): Supply Chain Management: Oversees the end-to-end logistics framework, managing the flow of raw ingredients from suppliers to manufacturing facilities. Co-packer Freight Coordination: Coordinates transit schedules and inventory shipping routes to and from the specialized co-packing plants, ensuring seamless distribution. Vendor & Inventory Logistics: Tracks inventory levels, manages supplier lead times, and implements efficient storage and fulfillment strategies to support the company's "Asset-Light" operational model. EDUCATION & CORE COMPETENCIES: Master's Degree in Transport Geography (Maîtrise). Advanced specialization in logistics networks, transport infrastructure efficiency, and global trade routing. Bachelor's Degree in Commercial Geography (Licence). Core focus on market distribution channels, consumer spatial behavior, and commercial trade zones. High School Diploma in Literature & Languages (BAC Littéraire). Advanced multi-lingual competency in English, French, and German, facilitating international vendor negotiations and cross-border trade operations.

Stephanie Offoumou is a business development professional with more than twenty years of experience in business management. Her career spans telecommunications, education, legal services, administration, and commercial development, where she has consistently demonstrated strong analytical abilities, diplomatic communication, and the capacity to build trust with diverse partners. Throughout her professional journey, she has developed core competencies essential to organizational and international governance: strategic prospecting, stakeholder coordination, structured reporting, data management, process optimization, and cross-functional collaboration. A native French speaker fluent in English, Stephanie thrives in fast-paced and multicultural environments. She understands the importance of data accuracy, operational rigor, and collaborative teamwork in driving organizational performance, and brings initiative, strategic vision, and a strong service mindset to every mission she undertakes. Her experience in the legal sector strengthened her analytical mindset, attention to detail, and ability to manage sensitive and confidential matters with discretion. As a philanthropist committed to human rights and social justice, she has also volunteered on complex and sensitive judicial cases, demonstrating integrity, empathy, and resilience. Formally trained in France in Management (Organizational, Strategic, and Technological Evolutions), she holds a Master's degree (MRes) in Law, Management Studies, and Political Science; a Master's degree (MSc) in Management Studies; and a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) in Business Management and Public Administration (specialization in Finance & Accounting). Stephanie also completed a Certificate in International Management at Georgetown University in the USA and several professional certifications in Communications and Customer Service in the UK. Her dual Ivorian-British identity gives her a unique perspective on global cocoa dynamics, positioning her as a bridge between West African producers, European institutions, and international partners.

Thomas-Junior Assi-Kaudjhis is an Ivorian Deputy Chief Financial Officer with 15 years of experience in financial engineering and treasury management. After spending four (4) years at an accounting and audit firm, he has worked since 2015 at the Road Maintenance Fund of Côte d'Ivoire (Fonds d'Entretien Routier de Côte d'Ivoire – FER-CI), where he oversees the strategic and operational management of Treasury and Financial Engineering. Throughout his career, he has led the structuring of more than 2,100 billion FCFA in bank financing, through syndication deals and bilateral agreements. He also contributed to securing a sovereign loan of 120 million euros from the French Development Agency (AFD). He maintains close relationships with leading international lenders, including the IMF, the World Bank, the OECD, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) through its Abidjan office. An expert in financial diagnostics (Vernimen method) and financial risk management, Thomas-Junior has also developed strong expertise in structuring project financing (PPPs) and steering the financial performance of public institutions. He holds an MBA in Market Finance (IFG Paris) and several certifications in International Finance (HEC Paris, CIFOPE Paris), and shares his expertise as a Financial Diagnostics professor at CAMPC Côte d'Ivoire. He currently serves as Treasury Administrator at CBA.

Andrée-Rosemonde Ngoan is an Ivorian professional specializing in public law and social policy. She holds a Master's degree in Public Law and is a graduate of the Advanced Cycle of the Ecole Nationale d'Administration (ENA), with a concentration in Labor and Social Affairs. She is part of a new generation of public-sector professionals committed to modernizing public administration in Côte d'Ivoire. As a Labor and Social Legislation Administrator within the Ministry of Employment, Social Protection, and Vocational Training, she has developed expertise in labor law, child protection, and the design of inclusive social policies. Her professional path reflects a sustained commitment to social justice, the defense of fundamental rights, and the strengthening of protection mechanisms for vulnerable populations. Actively involved in several community and civil society initiatives, she works to foster stronger cooperation among public institutions, civil organizations, and economic actors, convinced that sustainable development relies on solid and well-structured partnerships. Andrée-Rosemonde Ngoan joined Cocoa Bridge Alliance (CBA) as Administrative Director, where she oversees internal governance, administrative coordination, and operational support across the organization. She contributes to the development of strategic partnerships and to the strengthening of international cooperation between stakeholders in the West African cocoa sector and their institutional, economic, and scientific partners. Her commitment aligns with CBA's vision: advancing sustainable transformation, full-value utilization of the cocoa pod, and the upgrading of cocoa value chains.

Clovis Delacroix N'Dete is a specialist in gender issues, human rights, electoral governance, advocacy, strategic communication, marketing, and event management. With more than fifteen years of experience, he has built a career at the intersection of development, governance, communication, and social transformation. He holds a Master's degree in Marketing and Advertising Communication, a Master's degree in Modern Letters, and a diploma in Gender and Human Rights from the University of Geneva, as well as certificates in project planning, budgeting and management, and fundraising. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with national institutions, international organizations, and development partners, including CARE International, USAID, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), UNDP, UNFPA, the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), the National Observatory for Equity and Gender (ONEG), the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), and the Embassies of the United States and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Côte d'Ivoire. Alongside his expertise in development and governance, he has significant experience in marketing, communication, advertising at RTI, media, public relations, and event management. He has notably led responsibilities in designing communication and marketing strategies, media planning, press relations, partnership development, and the promotion of projects and initiatives. Committed, creative, rigorous, and results-oriented, Clovis Delacroix N'Dete now serves as the Côte d'Ivoire Representative of the Cocoa Bridge Alliance, helping to strengthen the organization's presence, build strategic partnerships, and advance sustainable cocoa value chains in West Africa. His conviction: communication must not only transmit a message; it must create buy-in, provoke action, and produce impact.

Bertin Yao Niamien is a senior public administration executive, training engineer and sociologist of education with more than two decades of experience bridging institutional governance, international cooperation and digital innovation. He currently serves as Principal Education / Training Inspector and Deputy Director for Professionalization at the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure of Côte d'Ivoire, where he designs professionalization frameworks for tourism operators, organizes bilateral training missions and represents Côte d'Ivoire in multilateral negotiations including the AfCFTA, UEMOA and several intergovernmental joint commissions. His career spans the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training (2001–2015), the Higher Institute of Arts of Guinea as consultant expert in design and higher education (2009–2013), and the Ministry of Tourism since 2015. He has led or contributed to state missions in Morocco, China, India, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mexico, building a strong track record in diplomatic representation, project management and institutional partnership building. A Master 2 graduate in Law, Economics and Management from the University of Toulouse 1 Capitole (France), with a specialty in Training Engineering and Employment Systems, he is also a doctoral candidate in Project Management (ICT option) with FUNIBER Spain. He holds diplomas from the National School of Fine Arts of Abidjan (ENBA) and the Pedagogical Training Center for Cultural Action (CFPAC), and is fluent in French with working proficiency in English. Researcher, designer, web developer and digital communication specialist, Bertin brings to the Cocoa Bridge Alliance a rare combination of public-sector expertise, institutional diplomacy and creative innovation capacity to advance resource mobilization, advocacy and strategic partnerships across West Africa.