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 had the opportunity to experience many cultures. The different cultures he experienced and the languages he learnt along the way still prove to be very helpful while travelling today.

"One of the biggest advantages 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 is professionally qualified in the area of tourism. He is an experienced tour guide and caterer. Motivated guides and drivers are always available to assist him where ever and when ever needed.

Cindy Noordermeer-Panou

Cindy assists Apollo with all his communications and administrative work. She is the main contact for potential clients and handles all email communications surrounding travel proposals and information when Apollo is on tour.

Born in 1977, Cindy has Dutch nationality and has been living in Ghana since 2003. During that time, Apollo and Cindy started a relationship. They married in 2008, have a son called Senam and a daughter called Dzifa.

Cindy earned her professional degrees in Nutrition (BSc) and International Public Health (MSc) at VU University in Amsterdam, and further gained her working experience in the health and development sector in urban and rural Ghana.

Besides assisting Apollo in his tour business, she works as a development consultant. Because of her travel experience in the region and an in-depth understanding of the local culture, Cindy occasionally supports Jolinaiko by functioning as a tour guide.

Cindy is also 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, marketeer and webmaster in the Netherlands.

Remco designed the Jolinaiko logo, and he designed, built and maintains this website. Additionally, he is responsible for the (internet) advertising.

Born in 1971, Remco is Cindy's first cousin. Since 2004 he has his own (web)design company. Outside of Jolinaiko, he builds websites for companies in the Netherlands and works as a freelance consultant, designer and front-end developer.

Together with Cindy, Remco founded the Stepping Stones for Africa Foundation, a Dutch registered charity.