Expert in trade facilitation and customs modernisation, Valentina Mintah has been elected as a member of the Board of Trust for Contemporary Art.

Ms. Valentina Mintah is the founder and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of West Blue Consulting, a company that successfully developed and delivered national single window platforms for Ghana and Nigeria.

Under her supervision, the company significantly improved trade facilitation which led to multimillion-dollar savings for governments of the two countries.

She joins the Kuenyehia Trust Board alongside Board Chair Felix Biga, member of the Leadership Strategy team at Caterpillar Inc USA and Regional General Manager for IBM Africa, Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh, who was recently appointed to Bank of Ghana’s Board.

Other Kuenyehia Trust Board members include Marian Ekua Hayfron-Benjamin, partner of law firm Ashong Benjamin and renowned Photographer, Writer and Communications Specialist, Nana Kofi Acquah.

According to Valentina Mintah, she is poised to assist the many talents in the country and on the entire African continent.

Addressing the Board after the announcement, she said, "I look forward to using my expertise and network to support and provide opportunities for our immeasurably talented artists”.

Lauding the efforts of the new board member, Kuenyehia Trust founder, Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia said, “Valentina is a keen supporter of young African artists. Thanks to her efforts, works by select shortlisted artists of the Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Art will be exhibited at the Art Pavilion of the 2021 All Africa Festival in Dubai in October, 2021.

"It is a great international platform which will provide our artists with significant exposure to Middle East art collectors, curators and gallerists”.

Ms. Mintah is also the founder of e-Ananse, a UNESCO-backed network of libraries that seeks to improve literacy in Ghana by providing young people access to high-quality, contemporary literature.

In 2020, she made history with her election to the Executive Board of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the first African woman to be elected in the 102-year-old history of the ICC.

The ICC represents more than 45 million companies in over 100 countries including Ghana.

Kuenyehia Trust for Contemporary Art (www.kuenyehiaprize.org) was established in 2014. It seeks to promote and advance contemporary African art, and support young, emerging and mid-career African artists.

Its flagship programme, the Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Art, now in its fifth year, seeks to identify, reward and help develop Africa’s most outstanding artists between the ages of 25 and 40.