Leadership & Governance
The people who lead, govern, and steward Bluemind Foundation.
Leadership Team
Different specialties. One conviction.
Bluemind Foundation is built by people who bring together different perspectives, expertise and lived experience to transform how mental health is understood and cared for.
AUDREY TANKEYChief of Staff & CFO 
PIERRE PAUL ALIPOEChief Legal Officer 
HONORE LATAStrategic assistant to the president & Head of Digital 
SOULEYMANE BOUBADeputy Operation & Country Manager 
MADZÉ BADAKOUFundraising, Philanthropie & Grands Donors 
BLEWUSI KOMLAVI TIASSOUSenior Accountant 
ABLAVI AZIAMADJIClinical Psychologist 
SAMUEL KOFFIArtistic Director 
EVRARD AKAEditorial Lead 
ISNEY BARIKOCommunity Manager 
MÉRITE KOUDADJEHome Manager 
RAPHAEL BADAIT & Digital Project Assistant 
JEANNE BRADAVI GNUITOHProject and Development Assistant 
AIDA ISSIFOUHeal by Youth (Coojali) Project Officer 
FRIDOSSE SONGHAI APOUProject Assistant 
LEA MOUZOUProject Assistant 
LANDRY TOUKAMGraphic Designer
CARE STARTS WITH US.
Governance
Board of directors.
Writer
- entrepreneur and philanthropist
Marie-Alix de Putter is a Franco-Cameroonian writer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. In July 2021, she founded and now leads Bluemind Foundation, an international organization dedicated to destigmatizing mental health and making care accessible across Africa.
Psychiatrist
- researcher and lecturer
Dr Christian Eyoum is a Cameroonian psychiatrist, researcher, and lecturer at the University of Douala and a recognized mental health expert. He practices at Laquintinie Hospital in Douala and directs La Maison Du Psy, a listening, support, and reintegration center for people with mental disorders. His academic publications on Google Scholar and ResearchGate address depression, the psychological impact of chronic illnesses such as sickle cell disease and HIV, addiction, and psychotherapy, and he collaborates actively with Bluemind Foundation on mental health destigmatization.
Economist and management consultant
Bertrand Assamoi is an economist and management consultant specializing in private-sector development in Africa, with more than 12 years of international experience in strategic consulting and complex project management (PMP certified). As Country Director for Côte d’Ivoire at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, he works closely with government institutions on strategic reforms, after serving as deputy director of Dalberg Advisors’ West Africa office. A champion of financial inclusion, he speaks at major economic forums such as SEIP, served as a judge for Africa’s Business Heroes, and contributes to Bluemind Foundation’s scientific committee.
Former Adviser to the OECD and the Office of the Prime Minister of Togo
A former Adviser to the OECD and the Office of the Prime Minister of Togo, she brings more than twenty years of experience working with international and national institutions, particularly in public policy support, institutional coordination, and reform processes. She has also led and supported humanitarian and social initiatives in collaboration with foundations and non-governmental organizations at both national and international levels. She is a member of the Bluemind Foundation Board of Directors and coordinates the Stakeholders Committee, contributing her expertise to the organization’s mission to destigmatize mental health in Africa.
Psychiatrist
- researcher and lecturer
Professor Samuel Traoré is a leading Ivorian psychiatrist and researcher specializing in addiction medicine. He practices at the National Institute of Mental Health (INSP) in Abidjan and is affiliated with Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, where he contributes actively to medical training and psychiatric research. Engaged continent-wide, he works with Bluemind Foundation to coordinate the Scientific Council and advance destigmatization of mental health across Africa.
Audit and corporate governance professional
Catherine Porta is a French audit and corporate governance professional, graduate of Panthéon-Assas University, serving as partner in the industry audit practice at CHCG SAS in France. With expertise in financial control and compliance, she brings analytical rigor to Bluemind Foundation as board member and Audit Committee coordinator, ensuring transparency and sound governance in the organization’s mission to destigmatize mental health in Africa.
Scientific Council.
Psychiatrist
- researcher and lecturer
Professor Samuel Traoré is a leading Ivorian psychiatrist and researcher specializing in addiction medicine. He practices at the National Institute of Mental Health (INSP) in Abidjan and is affiliated with Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, where he contributes actively to medical training and psychiatric research. Engaged continent-wide, he works with Bluemind Foundation to coordinate the Scientific Council and advance destigmatization of mental health across Africa.
Professor of Psychiatry
Professor Aida Sylla is a Professor of Adult Psychiatry at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal. A medical doctor, psychiatrist, and systemic family psychotherapist, she brings more than 25 years of experience in psychiatry, higher education, and the training of healthcare professionals. She currently serves as Head of the Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology at the Fann National Psychiatric Hospital, Head of Teaching in Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, and Coordinator of the Specialized Diploma in Psychiatry (DES). Her research and professional work have focused particularly on social change and mental health, aggressive behaviors, and the psychopathology of life events. She also provides training aimed at strengthening healthcare teams and supporting institutional analysis and development. A committed contributor to public mental health policy, Professor Sylla has served as Technical Advisor to the Minister of Health and Prevention of Senegal and as Head of the Mental Health Division at the Ministry of Health and Social Action of Senegal. She is the author of numerous scientific publications and several mental health training manuals for decentralized healthcare teams. Through her clinical, academic, research, and policy work, she has contributed for many years to the advancement of psychiatry, the strengthening of mental health systems, and the development of mental health professionals across Africa.
Psychiatrist
Dr Mireille Nicole Njanjo Yimgoua is a recognized Cameroonian psychiatrist with a specialized degree (DES) in psychiatry, trained notably at the Department of Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin. Her research focuses on art therapy at the National University Hospital Center of Psychiatry (CNHUP) in Cotonou and on assessing post-traumatic stress disorder among Central African migrant populations, topics on which she has co-authored several medical publications. Committed to destigmatizing mental health in Francophone Africa, she serves as an international trainer and specialist for Bluemind Foundation within the Heal by Hair program, and actively popularizes topics such as schizophrenia and depression through platforms including Afro Mental Health.
Stakeholders Committee.
Former Adviser to the OECD and the Office of the Prime Minister of Togo
A former Adviser to the OECD and the Office of the Prime Minister of Togo, she brings more than twenty years of experience working with international and national institutions, particularly in public policy support, institutional coordination, and reform processes. She has also led and supported humanitarian and social initiatives in collaboration with foundations and non-governmental organizations at both national and international levels. She is a member of the Bluemind Foundation Board of Directors and coordinates the Stakeholders Committee, contributing her expertise to the organization’s mission to destigmatize mental health in Africa.
Historian
- researcher and author
Amzat Boukari-Yabara is a historian, researcher and author specializing in Pan-Africanism, African political history and Black diasporas. Trained at the Sorbonne and the EHESS, he develops an interdisciplinary approach combining history, geopolitics, economics and political thought to analyze the major dynamics of emancipation, sovereignty and transformation in African societies. Recognized for his command of Pan-African and anti-colonial thought, he draws notably on the work of Walter Rodney, Frantz Fanon, Amílcar Cabral, W.E.B. Du Bois and Kwame Nkrumah. His research, conducted in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and the United States, allows him to offer a historical, international and strategic reading of contemporary issues facing Africa and its diasporas.
Founder and CEO of African Media Agency
Eloïne Barry is a Franco-African entrepreneur and communications professional, founder and CEO of African Media Agency (AMA), a pan-African PR agency based in Abidjan, and creator of AMA Academy for training African journalists. Former Executive Director of the African Press Organization (APO Group), she was named among the most influential women by New African Woman magazine and appears in MIPAD’s top 100 influential people of African descent in Media and Culture. A mentor for the Tony Elumelu Foundation, board member of Africa Communications Week, and part of Bluemind Foundation’s governance, she is a leading voice in strategic communications and women’s entrepreneurship in Africa.
Chair of the National Council for Hairdressing and Aesthetics of Côte d'Ivoire
Madame Victoire Biegny Rohon is a leading figure in crafts and the beauty sector in Côte d’Ivoire, unanimously elected on 17 March 2022 as the first Chair of the Board of the National Council for Hairdressing and Aesthetics of Côte d’Ivoire, a pioneering institution created to structure and professionalize a sector bringing together thousands of artisans across the country. She works closely with the Ministry of SMEs, Crafts, and Informal Sector Transformation as well as the National Chamber of Trades of Côte d’Ivoire (CNMCI), and also chairs the departmental chamber of trades in Bingerville. Former head of CONAPAPECI (National Professional Council of Employer Hairdressers and Beauticians of Côte d’Ivoire), she is actively involved in training artisans, particularly in digital literacy and awareness of responsible social media use, and is a key contact for organizing major professional trade shows and promotional events related to aesthetics and well-being in Côte d’Ivoire.
Theologian
- pastor and academic
Fifamè Fidèle Houssou is a Beninese theologian, Methodist Protestant pastor, and academic with a doctorate in theology specializing in feminist ethics. She teaches at the Protestant University of West Africa (UPAO) and serves as a pastor in the Methodist Church of Benin. Director of the Bible Alliance of Benin and founder of the NGO Déborah—a network combating violence against women and promoting women’s leadership—she is author of Les Fondements éthiques du féminisme: Réflexions à partir du contexte africain and contributed actively to La Bible de méditation par les femmes d’Afrique, a collaboration among 26 Bible societies offering 365 meditations through African women’s lived experience. A leading figure in feminist renewal of biblical reading, she embodies engagement at the intersection of faith, feminism, and social justice.
Microbiologist
- epidemiologist and public health expert
Professor Yap Boum II is a leading Cameroonian microbiologist, epidemiologist, and public health expert, currently Head of the Preparedness and Response Division at Africa CDC, after serving as Director General of the Institut Pasteur in Bangui, Central African Republic (2022–2024), and as Epicentre-MSF’s Africa regional representative. He holds a doctorate in biology from Paris-Saclay University, master’s degrees in microbiology and public health, and an MBA. He teaches at Yale, Mbarara University (Uganda), and several Cameroonian universities. A key actor in fighting HIV, Ebola, Mpox, and Covid-19, board member of The Lancet Global Health, he is also co-founder of Kmerpad (reusable sanitary pads) and iDocta (telemedicine), combining high-level science with high-impact social entrepreneurship.
Audit Committee.
Audit and corporate governance professional
Catherine Porta is a French audit and corporate governance professional, graduate of Panthéon-Assas University, serving as partner in the industry audit practice at CHCG SAS in France. With expertise in financial control and compliance, she brings analytical rigor to Bluemind Foundation as board member and Audit Committee coordinator, ensuring transparency and sound governance in the organization’s mission to destigmatize mental health in Africa.
Chartered accountant
Ndiaga Sarr is a leading Senegalese chartered accountant, member of the Ordre National des Experts Comptables et Comptables Agréés du Sénégal (ONECCA), who served as Senior Partner (Director) at KPMG Senegal, one of the continent’s most respected audit and advisory firms. With high-level experience in audit, risk management, and organizational consulting, he speaks regularly on these topics with I2GP and contributes to Bluemind Foundation with financial governance expertise in support of the organization’s pan-African mission.
Governance
Senior Advisors.
Professor of Public Health
Holder of a PhD in Public Health from the University of Bordeaux, obtained in 2004, followed by a French Habilitation to Direct Research (HDR) in 2012, he has served since 2016 as Professor of Public Health and Head of the Department of Public Health at the University of Lomé, Togo. Since 2017, he has also headed the Center for Public Health Training and Research (CFRSP) at the same university. Alongside his academic responsibilities in Lomé, he is a Research Fellow at INSERM, within Unit U1219 and the “Global Health in Southern Countries” team at the University of Bordeaux. He also co-chairs the Public Health Coordinated Action (AC46) of the French National Agency for Research on AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and Emerging Infectious Diseases (ANRS-MIE). With more than 20 years of experience in public health research, his work has focused primarily on the prevention and control of infectious diseases, particularly HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections. His research focuses on vulnerable populations, including sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), pregnant women, and children. He is also engaged in broader public health issues and develops operational research approaches to strengthen prevention and sexually transmitted infection control programs in resource-limited settings. Through his academic, scientific, and institutional work, he contributes to advancing public health research and strengthening health systems across the Global South.
Public health and nutrition physician
Dr Maïmouna Diop Ly is a Senegalese physician specializing in public health and nutrition, with more than 29 years of international experience in social development and universal health coverage. Former Chief of Health and Social Protection at the African Development Bank, she has also served at Senegal’s Ministry of Health and the Senegalese Red Cross. She founded CYCAS (a social enterprise valorizing local nutritious products), co-chairs the board of Tostan International, and advises Speak Up Africa. Her multisector approach links nutrition, gender, climate change, and digital health, with active advocacy for African women’s leadership in health technology innovation.
Corporate governance expert
Patrick-Hubert Petit is a corporate governance expert and former senior partner at KPMG France, where he managed a portfolio of listed companies, served on the management committee (2004–2013), coordinated KPMG activities in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa (2009–2013), vice-chaired the KPMG France corporate foundation (2006–2016), and chaired KPMG France’s Audit Committee Institute (2013–2020). He now leads Diderot Conseil International, specializing in governance advisory and training, works regularly with the Institut Français des Administrateurs (IFA), publishes in the Revue Française de Comptabilité, and supports Bluemind Foundation on mental health in Africa.