Solomon is the coordinator of Langham Partnership for Literature in Francophone Africa. He is the author of seven books, including Eglise et Mission a l’époque contemporaine (2007), Romans (2012), and Initiatives Théologiques en Afrique. He is a former lecturer at Faculte de Theologie Evangelique de l’Alliance Chretienne (West Africa Alliance Evangelical Seminary) in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Solomon holds a PhD and was born in Madagascar. He is married with six grown children.
Agatha is a freelance editor with more than 25 years in publishing. Her editorial credits span multiple genres—academic, fiction, children’s, theses and research reports. She is proficient in both US and UK English, with working knowledge of French and local Akan dialects. Her clients include: Hippo Books (Canada/UK); Curriculum Research and Development Division/USAID/ UNESCO (joint project of children’s books promoting all-inclusiveness and tolerance). She is a member of Ghana Book Publishers Association, Ghana Association of Book Editors, Ghana Association of Writers; Technical Evaluation and Equipment Committee (TEEC) of Ministry of Education; Editorial Board of Ghana Book News; and Editors’ Association of Earth (EAE) Backroom, (a vibrant online editors’ platform). Agatha holds BA Book Industry (1992), and BSc. Admin. (1979) degrees.
Elliot is CEO of Smartline Limited, a publishing house with over 200 titles to date, which he founded in 1997. He is the current president of the Ghana Book Publishers Association, president of the Commonwealth Book Publishers Association, vice chair of the Ghana Book Trust and a board member of the University Press. Elliot has a Masters in International Relations from the University of Salford, UK. His first real work after completing his graduate studies was with the acquisitions department of Westminster City Libraries. There "he was like a fish in water" because of his love for books. Elliot is an avid reader, an artist, a writer and an active table tennis player. He is very passionate about the crucial role of Education in national development, and reading in particular, and has spoken extensively on the subject.
Coby is the founder and CEO of TYPE Company Ltd, a full print service solution provider. The TYPE brand has become synonymous with quality and the preferred design and print house in Ghana. Coby has more than 30 years of experience in graphic design and printing. He spearheaded the creation of CRAYON; Ghana’s highest circulating free educative magazine, solely dedicated to children. His dream is to drive the magazine as a social medium and catalyst that would unearth talent and give children the space and platform to exhibit and improve such talent. Coby is also the brain behind Azaliabooks.com, an online e-book store that offers publishers and book lovers a secure and reliable platform for digital content. He and his wife Stephanie have a son and daughter.
Bishop Joseph is Bishop of the Diocese of Renk of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. At age 15 he left home on foot to pursue education 75 miles away. There he heard the Gospel and chose Christianity over both his father's African traditional religion and the Islam he was taught in school. Since then Bishop Joseph has served in many roles in the church, as youth leader for the Episcopal Church of Sudan, pastoral counselor in Khartoum prison and hospitals, parish priest for the Arabic congregation in Renk, and on the Bible translation team for the Bible Society. He received a Masters of Theological Studies in 2000 from Seabury-Western in the USA. After graduating, he returned to Renk Diocese as principal of Renk Theological College, one of five official seminaries of the Episcopal Church of Sudan. Since his installation as Bishop in 2008, South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011, and the country erupted in civil war in 2013. Bishop Joseph remains focused on the healing power of love, forgiveness and reconciliation. He helped found ECSS Life Publishers, which published its first book, Prayers for South Sudan, in 2015. He and his wife, Roda, have twin daughters, Michele and Grace.
Rose is the director of partnerships for Biblica Africa. She started working in the marketing department 20 years ago right after college, growing the clientele base from 30 to more than 100 clients. She holds a degree in Marketing and an Executive Master’s degree in Organizational Development. Rose is the chair of MAI-Africa. She loves to read and belongs to two book clubs. Rose resides in Nairobi with her husband Danson and three lovely children.
Joan Campbell is a contributing devotional writer for The Upper Room and Scripture Union. Her first book, Encounters: Life Changing Moments with Jesus, is a collection of short stories, reflections, prayers and art. She particularly loves writing engaging fiction with the underlying message of God’s grace. Her fantasy trilogy The Poison Tree Path Chronicles, published by Enclave Publishing, consists of Chains of Gwyndorr (winner of the 2017 Illumination Award), Heirs of Tirragyl and Guardian of Ajalon. Joan is an MAI trainer, and in 2018 she organized South Africa’s first Christian Writing Fair in her hometown, Johannesburg.
Novelist and publisher Lawrence Darmani is host chair and project leader of MAI’s LittAfrica 2019 conference. One of MAI’s most gifted writer trainers, Lawrence is founding editor of Step magazine and CEO of Step Publishers in Accra, Ghana.
Lawrence launched Step magazine in Ghana in 1989. Later, Step Publishers expanded operations to cover the publishing of books. Today, in addition to publishing the magazine, books have become a key product of the company, supplying titles to the Ministry of Education, Senior High Schools, Non-Formal Education, Ghana Book Trust and other institutions.
Lawrence’s first novel, Grief Child, won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize in 1992 as best first book from Africa. He also writes devotional articles for Our Daily Bread, which touches the lives of many Christians around the world. He holds a B.A. in Communications from Daystar University in Kenya and lives in the capital city of Accra with his wife, Comfort.
For many years Lawrence has served as a writer trainer in MAI workshops in Africa and beyond. He serves on the MAI-Africa Board of Trustees.
Ivanova Nono Fotso is the author of the children’s book, Même Pas Peur, short stories and articles for Jouv’Afrique and AMINA magazines, and parts of the comic collection Eclats d’Afrique. She also contributed devotional articles to the Africa Women Devotional Bible, and scripts to the new African authored and illustrated Graphic Novel Bible. Ivanova was an instructor at the COMIX35 seminar in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, in 2014.
Joanna Ilboudo has been founding president of ACTS Ministry since 2005. She has experience in leadership and management as director of a radio station, developing, establishing, and managing seven different station locations over the span of twelve years. She has been the managing editor of publishing house Contact Editions for more than 20 years. Joanna is also an award-winning author whose titles include: Pitié pour masoeur! (Pity for My Sister, a drama on FGM), Aunomdelafoi! (short story on vulnerability of children), Destinée via adversité, Et si toute ma vie était louange, and Parcours de femmes (life experiences of women in leadership in Burkina).
Jennifer Karina is a psychologist, a certified professional coach, speaker, and author of the seminar series Marriage Built to Last: After the Promise, Marriage Built to Last: Before the Promise; Marriage Built to Last: Healing beyond Betrayal, as well as Marriage Built to Last: The Companion Workbook. Jennifer is passionate about uplifting the lives of others and believes her purpose in life is to positively influence by stimulating, equipping, empowering, and encouraging individuals for better living. She has been regularly featured on television and radio as well as in national newspapers. Jennifer is a sought-after speaker for seminars, conferences, and key-notes.
Wambura has held several Pan-African leadership roles over the past 20 years. She previously served as Director of Publishing and Africa Executive Director at Biblica Africa before joining the burgeoning tech startup ecosystem in Africa. She has since served in several leadership roles within this ecosystem including GM Kenya at Cellulant, one of Africa's leading fintech companies, and Group Head of Cars at ROAM, an online marketplaces company. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, she is currently the CEO of Eneza Education, one of Africa's leading EdTech startups. She was also the founding chair of MAI-Africa.
Barine Kirimi is global publishing development coordinator for the United Bible Societies, with more than 18 years’ experience in publishing, capacity building and strategic consulting. He has a passion for training writers and publishers and is the founding director of the Publishing Institute of Africa, a capacity building organization for writers and publishers. Barine holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration, and is a member of the Association for Talent Development (ATD), formerly the American Society for Training & Development. He is also a Trustee of MAI-Africa.
Sir Buma Kor Dickson is a publisher, editor, writer trainer, and book development consultant in Yaounde, Cameroon. He received his training in Nigeria under the well-known Christian publisher Modupe Oduyoye of Daystar Press, Ibadan, along with further studies in publishing, management, theology, journalism, and communication skills within Cameroon and abroad (USA and UK). He publishes in English and in French, both general market and Christian books (meditations, literature for young adults, and some carefully selected people-oriented scholarly works). He is a visiting lecturer in communication at the Advanced School of Mass Communication, University of Yaounde II, and the Cameroon Christian University, Bali-Bamenda.
Georges is publishing director of Presses Bibliques Africaines (PBA) publishing house in Cotonou, Benin. PBA is the publishing arm of the IFES student ministry in Francophone Africa. Since 2011, Georges has overseen book production and finances at PBA, editing, supervising proofreading, developing page layouts and covers, and coordinating printing. Previously, he served as president of IFES of Benin. He has also been involved in radio and pastoral ministry.
Sam is publications officer at Step Publishers. He is an expert in converting content into digitized format for publishing online. He also designs book interiors and covers. Sam is a graduate of the Publishing Department of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Lara is founder, publisher and executive editor of Dabira Magazine, a leading lifestyle magazine for African Christian women. With a reach of over 25,000 women, she also coordinates the Dabira Women’s Conference which gathers thousands of women annually. Her first exposure to Christian publishing was in 2011 with Magazine Training International. She has since launched online, digital and print versions of Dabira Magazine, and has appeared on several Christian publishing platforms to speak both locally and internationally. She also created the Dabira Support Group/Network and the Dabira charity outreach with the aim of serving more women. Lara founded the Lydia Hearts Initiative in 2007, a non-profit that serves communities, children and the vulnerable.
Kingston Ogango is the East Africa director of Alpha International. Previously he was the head of media at Christ is The Answer Ministries in Nairobi, Kenya, where he managed HOPE TV and Hope FM radio, the largest English Christian radio station in Kenya. He also co-hosted a weekly men’s radio program, “The Gatekeepers,” on HOPE FM. Kingston serves as a trainer, coach and mentor with the Summit Center of Leadership. He is also a trained graphic designer. Kingston has a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership from International Leadership University. He is a Trustee of MAI-Africa.
Lekan Otufodunrin is a very passionate journalist and media career development specialist in Nigeria. He is former managing editor of online and special publications with The Nation, Nigeria’s leading national daily newspapers. Lekan is also founder of Journalists for Christ and has trained and mentored multiple journalists and writers in Africa.
He is a Trustee of MAI-Africa, secretary of the Africa Region of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) and fellow of the Bloomberg African Leadership Initiative Media Fellowship.
Ernest and his wife are the founders of The Relationship Centre Ltd, a Christian organization that seeks to restore and promote biblical family values in contemporary urban communities through Powerhouse—a Bible-based men’s pornography addiction recovery program; Dating Clinic—a premarital class; Boy Meets Girl—a quarterly forum for singles; and The Relationship Centre Podcast (available on Soundcloud.com). Ernest has garnered three national accolades for his writing on his award-winning blog, Pen Strokes. He is the author of four books: The Human Temple, a novel; Lust and the City, a guide on sexual purity; Holy Joe, a pocket handbook on sexual purity; and Baesics, a guide on setting the right foundations to marry well. You can follow Ernest @ewamboye.
Pusonnam Yiri is the founder and president of Nachau Turomale Centre LTD near Jos, Nigeria, where he trains local Christian leaders to write and publish. He is the author of Local Thinking (2018), and a series of four motivational books: Blindness of the Mind, Slavery of the Mind, Storms of the Mind and Injuries of the Mind. Pusonnam has started publishing books of Nigerian authors, aiming to produce practical titles with local content. He has also served as a trainer for MAI. He has a diploma in Mass Communications from the University of Jos, BA in Missions/Evangelism from ECWA Theological Seminary, Jos (JETS) and an MTh in Systematic Theology from the Theological College of Northern Nigeria, Bukuru (TCNN).
