The people behind Jolinaiko

The founder, director and main guide of Jolinaiko: Apollo Panou

Apollo (Eddo-Sodo Appolinaire Panou) was born in 1973 in a small town in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Due to his father’s profession as a French teacher, Apollo lived in countries throughout West Africa and experienced different cultures. The different cultures he experienced and the languages he learnt are very helpful while travelling.

"One of the biggest advantage is that I learnt English, French, Ewe, Twi, Ga (Ghana), Fon (Benin) and Yuruba (Nigeria), for which I am very grateful. This gave me the opportunity to share my country with everybody who wants to learn about this region."

Apollo has his professional qualifications in the area of tourism. He is an experienced tourguide and caterer. Motivated guides and drivers are always available to assist him where needed.

Cindy Noordermeer

Cindy assists Apollo with all his communicational and administrative work. She is the main contact for potential clients and handles all email communication about travel proposals when Apollo is on tour. Apollo and Cindy have been in a relationship since 2003, are living together and are getting married in 2008.

Cindy, who was born in 1977 and has a Dutch nationality, has been in Ghana since 2003. She obtained her professional degrees in Nutrition (BSc) and International Public Health (MSc) and she gained her working experience in the health and development sector in urban and rural Ghana. Occasionally, she supports Jolinaiko by functioning as a tour guide, since she has much travel experience in the region and an in-depth understanding of the local culture.

Cindy is the co-founder of the Stepping Stones for Africa Foundation, a Dutch registered charity.

Remco Kalf

Remco assists Apollo and Cindy as consultant, problem-solver and backup in the Netherlands. He designed, built and maintains the website and is responsible for the internet advertising. He also designed the Jolinaiko logo.

Remco was born in 1971, and is a full cousin of Cindy. Since 2004 he has his own (web)design company and as a freelance front-end developer, he builds websites for large companies and government agencies in the Netherlands.

Together with Cindy, Remco is also a founder of the Stepping Stones for Africa Foundation, a Dutch registered charity.