This Week in StartupGhana #50: Akua Gyekye named Microsoft’s Africa Head of Government Affairs | Henos Energy lands $1.2 million | Leadership transition at Viamo

Hello guys, 

Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in Ghana’s startup ecosystem.  Here’s a look at the bold moves shaping the ecosystem this week.  

• Akua Gyekye named Microsoft’s Head of Government Affairs for Africa.
• Henos Energy lands $1.2 million to accelerate clean cooking fuel adoption in Ghana. 
• Propartners Exchange secures crowdfunding platform license from SEC Ghana.
• Leonie Adomako joins agritech startup Degas as Chief Operating Officer.
• After 17 Years, David McAfee exits Viamo CEO role as former COO Louis Dorval steps in.

Funding

Henos Energy lands $1.2 million to accelerate clean cooking fuel adoption in Ghana.

Henos Energy , a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distributor, has raised $1.23 million in debt financing from the Switzerland-based Spark+ Africa Fund. The facility will support Henos’ expansion under Ghana’s Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM), a regulatory framework designed to improve safety by shifting cylinder ownership from consumers to licensed bottling plants. 

Founded in 2021, Henos has built a hybrid distribution model that combines door-to-door delivery, swap-and-go exchanges, and community-based LPG cages. Its technology platform, EaziGas, integrates mobile and USSD payments with a Pay-As-You-Go smart metering system, enabling households to purchase LPG in smaller increments and avoid the unsafe “tot-filling” practice common across Ghana.

Policy

Propartners Exchange secures crowdfunding platform license from SEC Ghana.

Propartners Exchange has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Ghana to operate as a “Crowdfunding Platform”, a milestone that strengthens the country’s alternative financing ecosystem. As a licensed crowdfunding platform, Propartners Exchange can provide the technology and marketplace for campaigns across equity, debt, donation, reward, and contractual crowdfunding models.

Talent moves

Akua Gyekye named Microsoft’s Head of Government Affairs for Africa.

Microsoft has announced the appointment of Akua K. Gyekye as its Head of Government Affairs for Africa, a role that places her at the helm of navigating the company’s engagement with governments, policymakers, and regulatory bodies across the continent.

Building on a distinguished career spanning law, technology, and public policy, Gyekye will oversee Microsoft’s legal and government affairs efforts in Africa. Her responsibilities include advising on crucial public policy issues such as artificial intelligence (AI), data privacy, cybersecurity, digital safety and integrity, cloud regulation, and international trade.

Ms Gyekye joined Microsoft from WhatsApp, where she managed public policy and government affairs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Before that, she spearheaded Meta’s election integrity work in Africa and was instrumental in establishing the company’s first Africa Policy Team.

Leonie Adomako joins agritech startup Degas as Chief Operating Officer.

Degas, the agri-fintech startup has appointed Leonie Adomako as its new Chief Operating Officer, bringing on board a seasoned operator with nearly two decades of experience in operations, logistics, and customer service across Africa’s telecoms and digital sectors.

Adomako makes the move after more than three years at M-KOPA, where she rose to become Head of Operations for Ghana. During her tenure, she oversaw a period of rapid expansion that saw the business grow from just three depots to more than 70 nationwide. She played a key role in strengthening the customer journey from retail and call centers to warehousing and logistics, and was instrumental in building strategic partnerships with device manufacturers, third-party logistics providers, and vendors.

After 17 Years, David McAfee exits Viamo CEO role as Louis Dorval steps in.

Viamo has announced a leadership transition as co-founder and CEO David McAfee steps down after 17 years at the helm. McAfee, who began his journey with HNI in Madagascar in 2008 and later co-founded Viamo through its merger with VOTO Mobile in 2017, will continue to support the organization as a Senior Advisor. Under his leadership, Viamo reached more than 60 million people across 30+ countries, connecting communities to life-changing information through mobile technology.

Viamo’s co-founder and former Chief Operating Officer Louis Dorval has been appointed Acting CEO, joining fellow co-founders Kellen Eilerts (Chief Partnerships Officer) and Sally Hughes (Chief Operating Officer) in steering the organization. The new leadership will focus on expanding Viamo’s reach to over 100 million people in the next 3–4 years, strengthening evidence of impact, and building lasting partnerships with NGOs, governments, and the private sector.

📬 That’s all for this week.  Want to feature your startup, funding round, or product launch? Subscribe  and email us at info@theinnovationspark.com

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Curated by The Ghana Innovation Journal, tracking Ghana’s startup momentum.