Johanna Richter

Johanna is co-founder and CEO of AGBE e.V.

AGBE cooperates with local NGO’s in West Africa and encourages social entrepreneurship. They completed numerous projects, e.g.
the construction of a kindergarden in Tomegbé/ Togo for 100 kids. To guarantee the programs sustainability and independence from external financial support, AGBE and their partners organized a social enterprise: the sale of self-produced natural soap, which is sold at local markets. Revenues are used to buy food and for maintenance of the kitchen, while the local production of soap also renders expensive imports from distant cities unnecessary.
AGBE is engaged in numerous social projects in Togo. Together with a local bank, they established a micro businesses for local villagers, called: Enlightening Chances, A social business with solar lamps.

Johanna studied in Frankfurt/O, Paris and Berlin. She is a PhD candidate in political science at the UNESCO chair of human rights education. She analyses how to counteract Female Genital Mutilation in Burkina Faso with the tool of discussion cinema. In 2009 Johanna was crowned queen of Tomegbé (Togo) by the chief of the village. She is the winner of 2009/10 for socially engaged women in development aid in Germany of the “Goldene Bild der Frau” and received numerous scholarships. Johanna has been a speaker and panelist at many conferences. From early on she felt obligated in taking an active contribution in social participation.