James Kofi Annan is Founder and President of Challenging Heights. He started the award-winning organization more than 15 years ago to combat child trafficking in the fishing industry on Ghana’s Lake Volta, after spending seven years there as a modern child slave.
James Kofi Annan is the Founder and President of Challenging Heights, an organization he started to combat child trafficking in the fishing industry on Ghana’s Lake Volta.
James himself was trafficked to Lake Volta when he was 6 years old, and he spent seven years there in modern slavery. After escaping, pursuing an education, and building a career as a bank manager, he founded Challenging Heights in 2005 to prevent more children from going through what he had experienced. James and Challenging Heights have, together, won more than 15 major awards, including the World Children’s Prize, for their work to end child trafficking in Ghana.
James served as the board chair of Family for Every Child, a board member of Survivor Alliance, and a member of Global Fund to End Modern Slavery’s Expert Advisory Council. He is also a former commissioner for the Financial Sector Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.
James holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Ghana, and a master's degree in communication and media studies from the University of Education, Winneba.
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