Eelke Jansen

YEP period 2022 - 2024, batch 26

YEP Role

Project Manager Private Sector Innovation at MDF West Africa in Accra, Ghana. In this role I am developing and establishing a new project, the Circular Economy Hub.

The Circular Economy Hub will consist of the several training, testing and business developing facilities in the peri-urban area of Nsawam. The project has the overall goal of promoting and developing the waste-to-value chains in the Eastern region of Ghana in order to improve the employment situation of various actors within this chain. The project will focus on providing training opportunities for young people and women within the waste to value chain and generating employment in several small companies in the region.

My key activities are to develop and institutionalize the concept of the hub, to plan and coordinate the project activities, ensure continuous flow of information to project partners, manager resources, monitor project execution and network with local and international partners. The role requires me to continuously gather new knowledge on circular economy and apply this knowledge to the development of the hub. Moreover, we are developing a business plan to ensure sustainability and economic viability of the hub.

Skills

• Project management
• Proposal writing
• Advocacy
• Inclusive innovation
• Communication for development
• Leveraging technology for development
• Circular Economy
• Business development support (social entrepreneurship)

Background

• Nationality: Dutch
• Education:
  • MSc International Development Studies – Wageningen University & Research
    • Track: Inclusive Innovation, Communication and Development
  • BSc International Development Studies – Wageningen University & Research
    • Track: Communication, Technology and Policy for Development
    • Minor: Politics, Intercultural Communication and Gender at University of Lapland, Finland

Experience before YEP

• Intern Project Officer – MDF West Africa, Accra, Ghana
• Intern Advocacy – PharmAccess Group, Amsterdam, NL