Chichi Yakubu is proving that food can be more than a business. It can be a vehicle for culture, enterprise, community and empowerment. The Ghanaian entrepreneur, culinary expert, business consultant and philanthropist is the Founder and CEO of NyoNyo Essentials, a food and catering brand that has grown from a personal passion for healthier eating into a recognised culinary business with multiple outlets in Accra. More than a decade after its beginnings, NyoNyo has become known for authentic Ghanaian meals, corporate catering and private dining experiences.
Yakubu’s entrepreneurial journey was shaped by an experience that was deeply personal. Her interest in healthy food grew out of her own weight loss journey, which led her to experiment with meal preparation and healthier eating. What initially began as a side hustle serving sandwiches, salads and smoothies soon attracted attention from friends and family who wanted to experience the meals themselves. That demand eventually became NyoNyo Essentials, turning a personal transformation into a business built around nourishing and accessible food.
Her relationship with food and entrepreneurship began even earlier. Growing up in Ghana, Yakubu was exposed to the realities of running a food business through her mother, who operated a small food venture. During her school years and holidays, she helped at her mother’s business, gaining an early understanding of hospitality, customers and the demands of entrepreneurship. That foundation later proved valuable when she transitioned from the corporate world into building NyoNyo full time. Today, the company has served thousands of customers and expanded into three outlets in Accra, with ambitions to develop a wider network of accessible food hubs.
Yakubu has also positioned herself as a business educator and mentor. Through The Business of Catering Initiative, she provides aspiring culinary entrepreneurs, particularly women and culinary students, with practical knowledge, training and mentorship to help them build sustainable businesses. Her commitment to social impact has also been expressed through initiatives such as Order For A Cause, which mobilised NyoNyo’s customers to support the refurbishment of the Visually Impaired Centre at Okuapeman School. In 2023, she was recognised among Ghana’s leading women entrepreneurs at the Women in Entrepreneurship Awards, while her work has continued to receive attention across Ghanaian media and business platforms.
Her professional development has accompanied the growth of the business. Yakubu studied Human Resources at Central University and later completed an Executive Marketing Certificate through Harvard University. Her combination of corporate experience, business education and culinary entrepreneurship has helped her approach NyoNyo not simply as a restaurant but as a brand with room to grow across food, hospitality, content and enterprise. Her influence has also extended into brand collaborations, with partnerships involving companies across sectors including financial technology, automotive, real estate, beauty and consumer products.
Today, Chichi Yakubu represents a generation of African entrepreneurs redefining what it means to build a modern food brand. NyoNyo Essentials celebrates Ghanaian culinary heritage while creating employment, developing entrepreneurial talent and creating opportunities for other people to participate in the food economy. As she looks towards expanding the NyoNyo model and strengthening her mentorship work, Yakubu’s journey demonstrates how a simple idea, when matched with consistency, business discipline and purpose, can grow into an enterprise with influence far beyond the kitchen.
