About Us

Riffath-Yakub Abubakar

Global Youth Leadership & Development Strategist | Social Entrepreneur | Industry-Academia Development Advocate | Executive Director, NASAAG

Riffath-Yakub Abubakar is an internationally recognized youth leadership strategist, social entrepreneur, development advocate, and transformational speaker committed to advancing youth empowerment, leadership development, entrepreneurship, employability, and industry-academia collaboration across Africa and beyond. Widely respected for his visionary leadership and multidimensional impact within the youth and education ecosystem, he has become one of the emerging voices championing sustainable youth transformation, innovation, and institutional development in Ghana and internationally.

Riffath currently serves as the Executive Director of the National Academy of Students’ Achievement Awards Ghana (NASAAG), where he leads strategic initiatives focused on student recognition, leadership development, youth capacity building, career mentorship, and institutional partnerships. Under his leadership, NASAAG has evolved into a transformative platform impacting students and young professionals through summits, mentorship programs, policy dialogues, leadership conferences, and employability-centered initiatives.

In addition to his executive leadership at NASAAG, Riffath holds several influential leadership and advisory roles across the nonprofit, corporate, and development sectors. He serves as the Chief Planner of Third Star Ltd, Country Director of Project Know Thy Self International, Head of Business Development at Leonards Homes Property Management Ltd, Executive Coordinator for The ELDERS Consult Ghana, and an Executive Organizing Member of Afrotalks, a Pan-African TinkTank Organization, serving in the capacity of strategic partnership. Through these capacities, he contributes strategically to business development, leadership consulting, youth mentorship, entrepreneurship promotion, and institutional growth.

Recognized globally for his expertise in youth leadership, entrepreneurship, employability development, and organizational strategy, Riffath is a sought-after Youth Leadership, Entrepreneurship & Development Coach, NGO and Corporate Event Consultant, Corporate Relationship Management (CRM) Coach, and Industry-Academia Policy Development Advocate. His leadership philosophy centers on equipping young people with practical competencies, leadership capabilities, strategic thinking, and market-relevant skills required for sustainable success in the modern world.

Since 2018, Riffath has spearheaded and coordinated numerous regional, national, and international events including leadership summits, employability workshops, entrepreneurship conferences, policy dialogues, and career guidance sessions, directly impacting more than 10,000 students and young people across Ghana and internationally. His engagements have extended to notable academic institutions and professional platforms including:

University of Plymouth, UK
RVS Institute of Management Studies and Research – India
University of Ghana
University of Education, Winneba (UEW)
Islamic University College
Pentecost University, Ghana
Methodist University, Ghana
Valley View University (VVU)
University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC)
Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU)

University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA)
Africa University of Business and Communications (AUBC)
Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA)
Design & Technology Institute… And among many others.

Riffath’s influence and contributions have attracted both national and international recognition. In 2025, he was conferred with an Honorary Award for Youth Leadership at the National Youth Shakers Conclave & Awards-Ghana Edition organized by Relevant Achievers Impacting Nations (RAIN) in collaboration with the World Conference of Mayors (WCM), USA. He was also featured as the first Ghanaian in the World Millennials Magazine 2021 by SHEHUB.TV in the United Kingdom. His outstanding contributions to student and youth development earned him recognition on the official website of the University of Education, Winneba in 2021. Additionally, he emerged as a Top Three Finalist in the Founder of the Year category at the Founders of The Year Awards Africa, Kenya.

As a respected industry speaker and policy advocate, Riffath has participated in and contributed to several high-level conferences and strategic initiatives including:

Advisory Panel Member for Association of African Universities 58^th Anniversary Innovation Expo-2025
Industry-Academia Roundtable 2025
Ghana-Nigeria Start-up Exchange 2025
Global NGO Founders Conference 2024
Ghana Events Summit 2023
Strategic Business Forum 2022
Integrity Leaders of Change Ghana Launch
Knowledge Bank Launch by the Ghana India Trade Advisory Chamber – International Foundation
Global Africa Trade Advisory Chamber engagements… And among many others.

He has also played key planning and coordinating roles in major youth empowerment and entrepreneurship initiatives such as the Ghana Youth Employment Agency (YEA) Nationwide Job, Career & Entrepreneurship Fair 2021, the Western and Central Regional Sensitization Workshop on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) organized by GIZ and the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs, as well as the Young Entrepreneurs Summit & Expo and several transformational youth conferences across Ghana.

Core Areas of Expertise

Youth Leadership & Capacity Development
Entrepreneurship & Employability Training
Industry-Academia Policy Development
Event Planning, Coordination and NGO Consulting
Business Strategy & Development
Corporate Relationship Management (CRM)
Public Speaking & Transformational Communication
Leadership Coaching & Mentorship
Student Development & Career Guidance
Institutional Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement
Social Entrepreneurship & Community Impact

Leadership Philosophy: Riffath-Yakub Abubakar believes transformational leadership is anchored on purpose, integrity, innovation, service, and sustainable impact. His mission is centered on raising a globally competitive generation of young leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals equipped with practical skills, leadership competence, ethical values, and transformational mindsets capable of driving meaningful societal and economic progress across Africa and the world.

Who We Are

We are a non-profit and non-governmental training and awarding academy established to train, mentor, empower, and properly position students in their chosen career fields; fostering their growth in various career paths.

Our Values

Lifelong Learning:

We thrive on mental transformation for human resource and capacity development.

Integrity

At NASAAG, we are obsessed with credibility, as such objectivity in diversity is never compromise.

Innovation

We create a platform conducive for students/youth and stakeholders for their distinctive expertise in development.

Excellence

We ensure that all our core values are grounded in principles.

Collaborations

Open and voluntary membership, with focus on students/youth community development. We believe it takes people with different ideas, strengths, interests, beliefs and cultural backgrounds to bring a meaningful positive change in a community.

Key Goals

Bridge the gap between industry and academia to provide industrial internship or attachment opportunities to students that will prepare them for the future of job.
Advocate and train students in Sustainable Leadership and Governance.
Advocate the practice of United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Advocate entrepreneurship, business and self-employment culture among students/y
Leverage social policies to advocate for inclusiveness (Youth, Women, & Persons with Disability).
Partner with STEM organizations to promote STEM Education across all levels of
Achieve drastic reduction in Graduate/youth unemployment (at of all levels of education).
Liaise with Government-Youth-Agencies, Ministries and NGOs for students entrepreneurship ecosystem improvement, student start-ups investment, Funding and study scholarship.

NASAAG 5 YEAR DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2025 - 2030

Center for Innovational Leadership, Entrepreneurship & Managerial Studies (CILEMs)
NASAAG Stationery & Design Print Studio
NASAAG EduSave: Educational Savings and Investment Scheme for Students.
NASAAG EduT-Fund: Education Trust-Fund to Provide Infrastructure Support to Underserved Communities & Scholarship for Needy Students

FUNDING & OPERATIONS

Currently the academy survives and operates on donor supports and sponsorships. The academy is intended to raise funds from ‘Internal Generated Fund (IGF)’, donors and sponsors to procure its operational working tools, equipment, and assets that can be commercialized to generate revenues for the academy, to manage or curd the hiring of exponential increasing items or equipment for operation. The academy has developed three (3) business modules/ideas to be implemented to generate funds for the sustainability of NASAAG, in order to manage dependency of supporters, donors.

TO SPONSOR/SUPPORT OR DONATE IN CASH OR KIND.

Bankers: National Investment Bank (NIB)

Account Number: 1151100065201

Account Name: National Academy of Students Achievement Awards Ghana

Vodafone/Telecel Cash: 0200671218 (National Academy of Students Achievement Awards Ghana LBG)

TO SUPPORT WITH OPERATIONAL EQUIPMENT & OFFICE GADGETS.

Call Only: +233 (0) 20 067 1218

Call/WhatsApp: +233 (0) 50 880 2076

Email @: nasaawardsghana@gmail.com

Editions

Winners

Projects