RFAG exists to advance professionalism, capability and collaboration across Ghana’s restaurant, foodservice and hospitality community.
The Restaurant & Foodservice Association of Ghana (RFAG) is a professional industry association supporting restaurants, foodservice businesses and hospitality professionals through training, development and industry services.
Our work is grounded in a simple belief: better-trained teams, stronger professional standards and closer industry collaboration create better guest experiences and more resilient businesses.
By creating opportunities for professional development, knowledge sharing and collaboration, RFAG helps strengthen the people and organisations contributing to Ghana's growing hospitality sector.
Building the industry together
Connecting businesses, professionals and partners around shared standards and sustainable industry development.
Our mission and vision define RFAG's commitment to stronger standards, skilled professionals and a globally competitive Ghanaian foodservice industry.
To empower Ghana’s foodservice professionals and businesses through world-class training, advocacy, and resources that promote food safety, service excellence, and industry growth. RFAG is committed to building a skilled workforce, supporting best practices, and shaping policies that drive long-term success and global competitiveness.
To elevate Ghana’s restaurant and foodservice industry to meet and exceed international standards, becoming a model of excellence, innovation, and sustainability in Africa and beyond.
Our objectives focus on the areas that help hospitality professionals and businesses improve capability, service standards and long-term performance.
Expand access to practical, relevant professional training that equips hospitality teams with the skills to perform confidently.
Encourage consistent service, operational and professional standards across Ghana’s restaurant and foodservice industry.
Create opportunities for operators, professionals and partners to learn, collaborate and build meaningful industry relationships.
Help hospitality businesses strengthen capability, credibility and long-term performance through knowledge and professional support.
RFAG brings together professionals with experience across hospitality operations, education, training, foodservice, consulting and service excellence.
International Training & Service Excellence Consultant
International training and service-excellence consultant with experience in business, education, aviation, entrepreneurship and cross-cultural instruction.
Toni Blake is an international training and service-excellence consultant with a background in business, education, aviation, entrepreneurship and cross-cultural instruction.
She is a Florida-certified educator and former aviation inflight instructor. She has also taught at Jiao Tong University in China and is a ServSafe proctor and owner of Toni Blake Projects.
Her consulting expertise includes staff development, customer experience, service standards, cross-cultural communication and preparing organisations to meet the expectations of an increasingly international clientele.
Hospitality & Tourism Management Academic
Ph.D., CHE, CHIA
Lecturer, hospitality educator and researcher with expertise spanning hospitality management, tourism development, food safety and sustainable tourism.
Emmanuel Gamor is a lecturer in Hospitality and Tourism Management at Koforidua Technical University (KTU). He obtained his Ph.D. from the School of Hotel and Tourism Management of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and holds a Master of Philosophy in Hospitality Management from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
He is a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) and Certified Hotel Industry Analyst (CHIA) through the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI). He also serves as the West Africa Area Consultant for the European Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (EuroCHRIE), a verifier for the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) in Ghana, and an Academic Advisory Board Member for Hospitality Internships, LLC in the USA.
Dr. Gamor serves as the Communications and Networking Lead for the Nutrition and Sustainable Agri-food Collaborative (NKABOM Collaborative) at KTU.
His teaching and research interests include human resource management, tourism development and marketing, sustainable tourism and tourist behaviour, hospitality and tourism education, crisis management in tourism, food safety and new product development, employee well-being, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.
He serves as an Editorial Board Member of the European Journal of Management Issues and the Asian Journal of Managerial Sciences (AJMS). He also reviews for journals including Annals of Tourism Research, the International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, Tourism Management Perspectives, and Methodological Innovations.
Hotelier, Restaurateur & Food and Beverage Management Consultant
Hospitality professional with 16 years of food and beverage management experience, consulting across restaurant, QSR and upscale dining operations.
Ernest Thompson is a hotelier and restaurateur committed to bridging gaps within Ghana’s hospitality and foodservice sector through personal initiatives and collaboration with industry stakeholders and like-minded professionals.
As a Food and Beverage Management Consultant, Mr. Thompson has more than a decade of consulting experience with selected international and local food-chain brands, predominantly within the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) sector and upscale dining establishments.
He has previous professional experience with high-end international hotels in Ghana and has accumulated 16 years of active food and beverage management and operations experience.
As part of his contribution to the sector, Mr. Thompson has served as Administrator of The Golden Chef, a culinary foundation that nurtures young talent into signature chefs through participation in international culinary competitions. He has also served as Secretary to the National Culinary Team of Ghana.
His company, EROAT Ghana Limited, is a Strategic Tourism Development Partner to the Central Region Development Commission (CEDECOM), a commission responsible for tourism and social development projects in Ghana’s Central Region.
His qualifications include studies in Hospitality Management at the University of Cape Coast, an HND in Commercial Arts, and a Diploma in Marketing from the London Centre of Marketing (LCM).
Professor of Tourism & Hospitality Management
BSc., MPhil, PhD, CHE, MIH
Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management and Head of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Cape Coast, with extensive experience in hospitality education, research and service quality.
Prof. Ishmael Mensah is a Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management and Head of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Cape Coast. He holds a BSc., MPhil and PhD from the University of Cape Coast.
He also holds certificates in Hospitality Operations and Events Planning and Tradeshow Management from Georgia State University, where he served as a Fellow on the Ghana Tourism Capacity Development Initiative. He is a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) by the American Hotel and Lodging Association as well as a Member of the Institute of Hospitality (MIH).
He has over 50 publications in high-ranking academic journals in the areas of environmental management in hotels, special events management, service quality, coastal tourism management, hospitality and tourism education, roots tourism, destination marketing and community-based tourism development.
Prof. Mensah is very passionate about the delivery of quality service and has consulted for a number of public and private organisations on the topic. He has also served on a number of national and local committees, including the Central Region Tourism Awards Committee.
He has supervised a number of postgraduate students in his own university and other universities and serves as External Examiner for a number of universities, including Koforidua Technical University, Ho Technical University, University of Energy and Natural Resources, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban University of Technology, and Hunan City University.
He was also a Visiting Lecturer in the Masters in Tourism Programme at the University of Girona. He is a highly sought-after speaker who has presented at conferences, workshops, seminars and webinars in institutions including the University of Papua New Guinea, Amity University, Kolkata, Universiti Teknologi MARA, and University of Santo Tomas - Legazpi.
Prof. Mensah is Editor-in-Chief of the African Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
Hospitality Educator, Consultant & Board Chairperson
Ed.D., MBA, CHE
Lifelong educator, entrepreneur and hospitality consultant with extensive experience in hospitality education, operations management, leadership, mentorship and professional development.
Dr. Deanne Williams-Bryant is the current Board Chairperson of WHI Western Hospitality Institute. She is a lifelong educator, entrepreneur, DEI advocate and hospitality consultant.
As a retired Hospitality Professor and academician, she continues to serve the industry in other capacities, empowering excellence and maximising potential through writing, mentorship and continued participation in service organisations such as the Soroptimist Club. She is also a contributor to INUA Global Tourism Leadership and Culture Magazine, with a column on Collaborative Leadership among other topics.
A former Commissioner for the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA), she served as the founding Dean and Professor of the Bob Billingslea School of Hospitality Management. As Department Chair, she was an active member of state and local Tourism Associations and campus organisations and served on various hospitality industry boards.
A visionary leader with extensive professional industry experience in hospitality operations management and a myriad of professional affiliations, Dr. Williams-Bryant has demonstrated a commitment to teaching excellence, with an accomplished record of research, scholarship and community service at Bethune Cookman, Virginia State and the University of South Florida.
As a National Tourism Scholar of Jamaica, Dr. Williams-Bryant has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Stevenson W Fletcher Award for contribution to Hospitality Education from the International Council on Hotel Restaurants and Institutional Educators (ICHRIE) and the Outstanding Graduate Award from her alma mater, the University of Florida.
Dr. Deanne Williams-Bryant epitomises educational and professional development, with a B.S. from the University of the West Indies, an MBA from Nova Southeastern University, and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from the University of Florida. She is also a proud graduate of Morant Bay High School, St. Thomas, Jamaica.
Clear expressions of RFAG's commitment to professional standards, Ghanaian excellence, talent development and industry transformation.
“Raising Standards. Serving Ghana.”
“Global Standards. Ghanaian Excellence.”
“Excellence on Every Plate.”
“Training Talent. Transforming Industry.”
