Management Team

Roger BONG BEKONDO

Mr Roger BONG BEKONDO is a seasoned professional with a rich national and international experience. He is a trained translator-interpreter (Masters in Interpretation -1995- and Masters in Translation -1990) and holds an Executive MBA (2008) from the East and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI), Arusha, Tanzania. His international career (Africa Re, Lagos, Nigeria, since 2008, and the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda -UNICTR- from 2004 to 2008) was preceded by a solid career in his home country, Cameroon, where he served at the Presidency of the Republic from 1996 to 2004, and at the Ministry of Finance from 1991 to 1996.

On 1 July 2024 he was appointed Director, Communications and Public Affairs at the African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re). His main activities within the Africa Re Group consist in supervising the Communications & Public Affairs Department; he is responsible for Corporate Communications, Host Countries Engagement, Protocol Services, Consular & Visa matters, Travel Logistics, Language Services, Records Management and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), etc.

Moussa BAKAYOKO

Mr. Moussa BAKAYOKO was appointed Director of Finance & Accounts in September 2022.

Prior to this position, Mr. BAKAYOKO was Director of Internal Audit. Before then, he was Assistant Director, Finance and Administration, in the Regional Office of Africa Re in Mauritius since 2014. He joined Africa Re in 2006 as Financial controller. He later on held the positions of Group Acting Director, Finance and Accounts, and Assistant Director, Finance and Administration, for the Lagos Regional office.

Mr. Bakayoko started his career in Uniconseil, an audit firm, in 1988 and moved later to Protection Ivoirienne, an insurance company, where he was the Chief Accountant for five years, before joining Chronopost International Côte d’Ivoire in 1999 as Administrative and Financial Director.

He has acquired more than 30 years of experience in finance, audit and administration in the insurance and reinsurance sectors.

Mr. BAKAYOKO holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a masters’ degree in accounting and finance (MSTCF/DECF). He also holds a postgraduate diploma (DEA) in finance. The three certificates were awarded by the University of Abidjan. He has attended various trainings in finance and accounting.

Award: Mr. BAKAYOKO was the Best Employee of the African Reinsurance Corporation in 2014.

Yvonne PALM

Ms Yvonne Naa Korkor PALM joined Africa Re as Director of Risk Management, Compliance and Actuarial Services on 27 November 2019.

Prior to joining Africa Re, she served as the Lead Corporate Actuary at Travelers Syndicate Management in London, overseeing reserving, technical provisions, business planning and reporting of results to regulators and management.

She started her career at Ernst & Young in the USA, serving as the lead actuarial analyst for multinational clients including (re)insurers, captives and entities that self-insure their exposure. She went on to hold senior actuarial positions at Markel International and ACE European Group in London (UK). Her experience spans the United States, Europe and Latin America, as well as exposure to African, Middle Eastern and Australasian business through the Lloyd’s platform.

Yvonne is a Fellow of both the Casualty Actuarial Society (USA) and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (UK). She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Grinnell College in the USA, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with Honours in both Mathematics and Economics

Silifat AKINWALE

Mrs. Akinwale is a highly experienced professional with over 30 years of diversified experience in audit, accounting, finance and administration. Her professional experience started with Deloitte, where she worked for 12 years providing assurance and advisory services to both private and public sector organisations.

She joined Africa Re in August 2003 as Senior Accountant. Within her first year, she developed the first accounting manual for the Corporation. She was promoted to the position of Assistant Director, Financial Reporting in January 2006. In that capacity, she led the Corporation’s first-time adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and played a key role in developing the Group’s accounting policies and guidelines on financial reporting. She has served in this position at the Head Office and two of the regional offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Cairo Egypt. During her experience at the regional offices, Mrs. Akinwale also had overall responsibility for the financial reporting, budgetary control and administrative functions.

Mrs. Akinwale was appointed the Director of Internal Audit in September 2022.

Mrs. Akinwale holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Obafemi Awolowo University and a Postgraduate degree in International Business Management from the University of London. She is a Chartered Accountant, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and a member of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.

Mesfin DAMTEW

Mr Mesfin Abebe Damtew started his professional career as Design Engineer in the then Engineering Design & Tool Enterprise in Ethiopia before joining the insurance industry. In 1995, he joined Ethiopia Insurance Corporation (EIC) as Fire and Engineering Surveyor where he conducted pre and post risk assessments and in 2003 was promoted as Senior Supervisor in the Marine and Aviation Department. From 2008 to 2013 he served in various capacities in the same Corporation namely, Deputy Main Branch Manager, District Director and General Insurance Deputy CEO before Joining Africa Re in September 2013 as Engineering Underwriter in the Nairobi Regional Office.

For 11 years, Mr Mesfin served in various capacities in the Nairobi Regional Office of Africa Re and subsequently rose through the ranks to become Assistant Director – Underwriting and Marketing on 1 August 2021. He was an active member of the Association of Kenyan Reinsurers (AKR) and chaired the technical committee for one year (2023 to 2024).

Mr Mesfin is a graduate of Addis Ababa University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the United States International University (USIU) – Africa, Nairobi, Kenya. He has also taken short-term training in insurance from various institutes.

He has attended many foreign and local seminars and on various occasions facilitated training in risk survey, property, engineering and marine insurance underwriting.

Award: Mr Mesfin was the 1st runner-up of the African Reinsurance Corporation Group 2021 Employee of the year Award.

Guy Blaise FOKOU

Mr Guy B. FOKOU was appointed Corporate Secretary of Africa Re in January 2024, a role he now combines with his responsibilities as the Director of Human Resources.

With over two decades of versatile experience in leadership roles across various sectors (Insurance/Reinsurance, Oil & Gas, Humanitarian, Communication, Logistics), leading diverse teams and navigating in large, matrix and complex corporate environment, Mr Fokou's professional journey began as an HR Management Trainee at Bolloré Cameroon (now Africa Global Logistics). He later joined Multiprint Sérigraphie (a leading printing and communication Group of Companies in Cameroon) as HR & Legal Manager and eventually rose to the position of Group Director of Human Resources.

Mr FOKOU joined Africa Re in 2014 as Assistant Director, Human Resources & Administration before being appointed as Director of Human Resources in 2019. His role expanded further when he served as Acting Director of Administration & General Services from May 2022 to June 2024.

Prior to joining Africa Re, Mr FOKOU was Director of Human Resources & Administration/Company Secretary at Total Energies Cameroon where he was in charge of Human Resources, Legal & Insurance matters as well as General Services.

In his career trajectory, Mr FOKOU has also held several key positions including Assistant Director of Human Resources at Ecobank Cameroon, Regional HR & OD Advisor for SOS Children’s Villages in the Central & West Africa Regional Office (Yaoundé-Cameroun), overseeing 13 countries in the Region, and Director of Human Resources at ACTIVA Group (Insurance) Cameroon.

He holds an MBA from the African Leadership University (ALU) School of Business in Kigali, Rwanda, a Professional Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from ESSEC Business School of Douala, Cameroon and a Master’s Degree in Business Law from the University of Douala. 

Christopher SAIGBE

Mr Chris SAIGBE worked as a life insurance specialist in Nigeria for several years before moving to the African Reinsurance Corporation in January 2009. His experience in life insurance and reinsurance management spans over twenty-five years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Lagos both in Nigeria. Mr SAIGBE obtained a Master of Business Administration from Moi University in Nairobi, Kenya. He is an Associate member of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria and a Certified Personal Financial Planner. His wealth of experience in direct life assurance operations and reinsurance comes in handy in leading the life team to fashion appropriate life reinsurance treaties and manage the reinsurance expectations of clients.

Kantam NAGOU

Dr Kantam Nagou has over two decades of progressive and diverse experience in international financial institutions.

In September 2003, he joined the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) as Information System Manager at its headquarters in Dakar, Senegal. His responsibilities included overseeing the Information Technology Services for the West African Monetary Union (WAMU) Retirement Fund Institution (CRRAE-UMOA).

Having joined Africa Re in 2009, he worked in different capacities before rising to the current position of Director of General Services. He was appointed Assistant Director in charge of Projects Management & Information Security in August 2021, a position he held until his appointment as Director of General Services in July 2024.

Dr Kantam Nagou holds a Doctor of Engineering Degree (D.Eng.) from the George Washington University (USA) with specialisation in Cybersecurity Analytics, an Executive MBA Degree in Business Administration (Entrepreneurship) from the Faculty of Economics and Management, Chekh Anta Diop University, Dakar (Senegal) and a Master’s Degree in Information Systems and Telecommunications from Ecole Supérieure Multinationale des Télécommunications (ESMT), Chekh Anta Diop University, Dakar (Senegal).

In addition, he is a holder of several cybersecurity defensive and leadership certifications, including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). These credentials equip him with the necessary expertise to effectively drive strategic cybersecurity goals within acceptable risk appetites.

He speaks fluently English, French and other African languages.

Adil ESSOUKKANI

Mr Adil ESSOUKKANI has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a Master’s Degree in Programme Management from ESC Lille, France. He has more than 15 years of experience in the insurance industry.

Prior to joining Africa Re, Mr ESSOUKKANI was Chief Information Officer of Saham Angola Seguros (2017-2019).

He has equally worked as Project Director at Saham Finances, Director of the software factory of SAHAM Finance Group, Head of IT in a leasing company (WAFABAIL), Project  Manager and business analyst at AXA insurance Morocco.

Mr Adil ESSOUKKANI started his professional career in 1999 as an engineer in software development.

Mr ESSOUKKANI joined Africa Re in September 2019 as Director of Information and Communication Technology

Alain ZONGO

Mr Alain ZONGO is an investment professional with more than 20 years of experience in the finance industry. He is a well-appreciated team leader and has worked for several banks, including Ecobank and other renowned organizations. Before his current position, he was the Assistant Director for Treasury and Investment.

He holds a diploma in physics and chemistry from the University of Ouagadougou and a Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. This led him to work for Air Afrique between 1995 and 2002.

Later, he transitioned into banking and finance by obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in business management from Check Anta Diop University in Dakar, a Master's degree in banking and finance from CESAG in Dakar and an MBA from Roehampton University in the UK.

He also holds various treasury, investment and ALM management certificates from INSEAD and New York University.

Oluseye OLAKANMI

Since joining Africa Re in 2011 under the Young Professional Programme, Mr. Oluseye OLAKANMI has held several positions across cadres gradually increasing in responsibility from Officer, Manager, Senior Manager, Assistant Director and now a Director with the Corporation. He was the pioneer officer in charge of the Strategy Management Office with responsibility to support the Executive Management in the formulation and execution of the Corporate Strategy. He has a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours from the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Cape Town (South Africa). He has several awards for his academic achievements and relevant professional certifications. On 01 July 2024, he was appointed as the Chief of Staff & Strategy to supervise the Executive Management Office and shall be responsible for strategy management, executive support, cycle management, operational excellence, internal collaboration, project reporting, and any other special duties or assignments as may be required.