Our Team
Upon their shoulders have they piloted the affairs of this great foundation and are still very keen to take us to the next level and to discover more talents.
Roger Crawford
President Tennis Foundation Ghana
Roger Crawford is a Ghanaian American Investor, Philanthropist and Tennis Professional. He is the Organizer and Tennis Director for the International Tennis Federation World Tour Juniors Events in Accra. Rogers' passion has taken him to great Tennis Companies like Sportime and Lifetime. He has been the Director of Tennis for Camp Wayne for Girls in Pennsylvania since 2001. Roger was also Head Women's Coach at both Yeshiva University and St. Joseph's college in New York.
He had his formative years in Accra where he fell in love with Tennis as a ballboy at Kalatec Club alongside Ghanaian Tennis Legend, Frank Ofori.
He was a member of the Greater Accra Regional Academicals Team under the late Coach Owuo.
Roger toured and played in Africa and Europe before moving to the US in 2000. He credits his career to his mentor and sponsor, Kobbie Owusu Afriyie.
Roger is a dad to Ruth, Hope, Courage and Wisdom Crawford. Ruth, who was a tennis standout at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, proudly represented Ghana at the 2023 African Games in Accra. She excelled at the junior level and has been a key member of Ghana’s Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Team, showcasing her talent and dedication on the international stage.
Hope and Courage are 2 times New York State High School Boys Doubles Champions.Roger's vision is to have a Ghanaian in the top echelons of World Tennis soon.
Queen Murjanatu Attah
Digital/IT Specialist
She is also known as the Born-Again African, a name that reflects her deep love for African culture and heritage. Queen Murjanatu Attah serves as the Digital/IT Specialist for Tennis Foundation Ghana, where she combines her passion for technology and community building. She firmly believes tennis is a sport that unites people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
Queen has consistently demonstrated her commitment to excellence in every role she takes on. She gained valuable digital and leadership experience working with prestigious organizations. In Ghana, she led a MasterCard Foundation public health campaign that reached over 8 million people. At Hubinit in the Netherlands, she improved global team collaboration across 100+ countries. In the USA, she served as Vice President of Sales with My Business Bestie in Chicago, helping small businesses grow significantly. She also supported Sistas in Sales in New York, boosting their community membership by 18% in just three months.
When she is not working, Queen loves meeting new people, building strong communities, and enjoying seafood. She is committed to Afrocentric growth and runs Quemsa Afrique, where she designs and makes handmade African jewelry.
Catherine Sowu
Strategic & Business Development Director
Catherine comes from a Ghanaian tennis legacy. Her late dad Squadron Leader Clend Sowu was one of the architects of Ghana's participation in Davis Cup. He was honored at the Hall of Fame for his instrumentality in the construction of the National Tennis Centre.
Catherine is an extremely organised and driven person with a disciplined approach to every task. She Has a wide range of experience in various sectors, but always with an eye to better the prospects of people.She served in various senior management positions within a number of Organization's as Senior Manager – Human Resource.
Her previous work Bahraini International Corporate where she had responsibility for Gabon, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti and Iran makes her an asset to Tennis Foundation Ghana.
Catherine was also Senior Manager- Volunteer coordinator/Money Advice Caseworker- Sutton Citizens Advice Bureaux- Surrey, England. She worked closely with the community, Local Councillors and Members of Parliament to effect Social Policy Change.
She Holds a BSc in Business Administration and attended Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast. Catherine believes that Non Profits have to be sustainable in the new century and is working hard to make Tennis Foundation Ghana a business that is relevant without losing its direction in social change.
Yakubu Lea-Abukari
Director Of Tennis Operations
Yakubu Lea-Abukari began his umpiring job in 1993 and the first match he umpired was Milo Junior Championship.
He started the umpiring job first on a part-time basis and also doing other businesses of his. Umpiring became his full time job in 1993 and his first international umpiring match was in Ghana during the 1998 Davis Cup match between Ghana and Ireland.
He was the brain behind the National Ranking Tournament, which has been in existence since 2014. Currently he is the interim President of the Tennis Professionals of Ghana.
Gabriel Amoakoh
Media Relations Director
Started his Journalism Career at Pravda Radio(Vision 1). He had brief stints at Live FM at Tesano and Melody FM at Takoradi.
Gabby as he is popularly known worked for 4 years under the guidance of Yaw Asante at Tennisgh.com. Tennisgh.com was the first online news outlet specifically for Tennis. Tennis Foundation Ghana is blessed to have Gabby as the media liaison.
His love for the game has really developed and his purpose for joining the Foundation is to help Ghana tennis grow.
Baffour Gyem Darkwa
PR Director
Mr. Baffour Gyem Darkwa is an Assistant Registrar in the Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS). He provides high level of confidential and professional personal assistant support services as well as dedicated administrative support to the Vice Chancellor.
He is also the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of BT Consult; an Event Planning and Management firm. He is an Administrator, Marketer, Public Relations Consultant and Youth Advisor.
Mr. Darkwa holds a Master of Business Administration from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) with specialty in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Arts in Publishing Studies (Administration). He also holds a Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management from KNUST and a Diploma in Public Relations from the Institute of Commercial Management, UK.
As an experienced Public Relations Officer, at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology he was responsible for within planning events, conducting public relation programs designed to create and maintain favourable public image for the school, press relations and general administration both in the public and private sectors. He also worked as the Sales and Marketing Manager at Oak Management and Associate and a Direct Sales Agent at Barclays Bank. Mr. Gyem Darkwa was once a Security Analyst at Concorde Security, London.
Mr. Baffour Gyem Darkwa is a Resource Person in Marketing (CEDRES) KNUST; he facilitates short training courses in Economic Empowerment for persons with disabilities. Among his many affiliations, he is a member of the Institute of Directors-Ghana, Institute of Public Relations, Young Entrepreneurs Club, KNUST, Ghana Association of Book Industry Students and Associates, Boys and Girls Brigade, 14th Kumasi Company, Ho Tennis Club (Current Secretary) and Rotary Club, Ho.
As a Youth Advisor Mr. Darkwa has keen research interest in youth development, education and advancement.
Nicole Paxton
Community Outreach Director
Nicole Paxton is a tennis enthusiast who has been playing for the past three years. She plays on a competitive United States Tennis Association (USTA) Team and serves as the captain of the Shenorock Shores Country Club’s Metropolitan Interclub Tennis League (MITL) Team.
Off the court, Nicole Paxton is a highly successful real estate broker in Rye, NY, known for her integrity and unwavering commitment to her clients. As a Westchester native, she has a deep understanding of the local community and exceptional communication skills honed during her previous career in news broadcasting.
Nicole’s passion for tennis extends beyond personal enjoyment, as she is a proud supporter of Tennis Foundation Ghana. She believes in the transformative power of tennis to teach discipline, foster teamwork, and empower youth. Her involvement with the foundation helps create opportunities for young athletes to thrive, both on and off the court, and underscores her dedication to building strong foundations — whether in homes, communities, or futures.
