Our Fund Management Team

With expertise in programme management, leadership skills building, and building the capacity of journalists, CSOs, and government agencies in using technology to enhance their work and leveraging new digital tools to address complex civic challenges in areas such as economic justice, social accountability, local government, human rights, climate change, media and information literacy, anti-corruption, digital security, and natural resource governance, Jerry Sam is Penplusbytes’ Lead Strategist.

In his current leadership role, he manages a team of talented software developers, programme and field officers, and digital communication specialists. He works with the team to transform the organization’s outputs into powerful content that drives change, advances innovative approaches, informs government policy and supports inclusive development initiatives in Ghana and the rest of Africa.

He spearheaded the conception of the Yen Somu Bi project in 2021 under the Giving for Change Programme and led the initial build, innovations and structuring required to bring the platform to life in 2021 and continues to provide strategic direction for the project and its efforts to promote local philanthropy in Ghana.

John Obuaba is a seasoned Development Practitioner with over 15 years of experience in facilitating community-led development processes. His work has focused on empowering local communities across Ghana to build their capacities in local philanthropy, advocacy, and inclusive development. John has worked extensively with local government authorities to promote citizen-centered and participatory planning approaches that strengthen accountability and responsiveness in governance.

For the past four years, he has served as Co-Convenor of the Community of Practice (CoP) on Local Philanthropy, a joint initiative of STAR-Ghana Foundation and the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI). In this role, he has successfully facilitated peer learning and knowledge exchange among more than twelve civil society organizations, enhancing collaboration and shared learning on local philanthropy practices. During the same period, John has led a local philanthropy project in the Anum community in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Through this initiative, he supported the community to develop skills in local resource mobilization which resulted in the successful mobilization of over GHS 100,000 to construct a community market.

From 2010 to 2020, John served as a Program Officer at Socioserve-Ghana, where he contributed to several inclusive development initiatives. Between 2018 and 2024, he also served as the West Africa Coordinator of the Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa (YALDA), a Pan-African youth movement promoting entrepreneurship and transformative leadership.

Currently, John serves on the Programme Steering Committee of the Civil Society Strengthening Programme (CSSP), a STAR-Ghana Foundation and WACSI initiative funded by FCDO and Comic Relief, where he contributes to strengthening civil society institutions and advancing local resource mobilization for sustainability. He is also a Board Member of the Micro-Credit Association Ghana, which brings together over 500 microcredit institutions in Ghana.

John is the Executive Director of Celdar Foundation, a Ghanaian civil society organization dedicated to empowering communities through integrated and inclusive programmes that advance livelihoods, health, environmental sustainability, and good governance.

He brings to his work a wealth of experience in local resource mobilization, project management, and financial management, coupled with a deep commitment to community empowerment and sustainable development.