FAUSTINA ASANTE
Fletcher,NSW
Summary
Strategic community engagement and stakeholder relations professional with over 10 years of experience delivering complex water and sanitation infrastructure projects across public, private, and non-profit sectors. Proven track record of leading high-performing teams, designing and implementing community engagement strategies, and building influential stakeholder relationships throughout project lifecycles. Expert in navigating matrix environments, managing multi-million-dollar programs, and translating community needs into actionable solutions that safeguard reputation and deliver project success.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Business & Partnership Lead
Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)
04.2022 - Current
- Leading strategic engagement and partnership development for large-scale WASH infrastructure programs
- Strategic Stakeholder Management: Develop and maintain partnerships with government agencies, donors, private sector partners, and community organizations to address water and sanitation needs for vulnerable populations
- Community-Centered Design: Lead user-centered design processes ensuring community voices shape project outcomes and full health benefits are achieved from infrastructure investments
- Program Leadership: Direct the Rural Water Utilisation project, supporting the Community Water and Sanitation Agency's transformation from facilitator to utility provider, requiring extensive stakeholder coordination and change management
- Communications & Learning: Design and deliver webinars, workshops, and learning initiatives for diverse stakeholder groups, building capacity and sharing best practices
- Relationship Building: Cultivate and sustain meaningful relationships with partners, communities, and government officials to ensure project sustainability and community buy-in
Team Lead - Gender Mainstreaming Project
WSUP/USAID WALIS
06.2020 - 03.2021
- Led multi-stakeholder consultation and engagement for gender equality in the water sector
- Stakeholder Consultation Leadership: Facilitated consultation workshops with Community Water and Sanitation Agency and Ghana Water Company Limited, engaging over 300 staff members
- Policy Development: Led development of Gender Mainstreaming guidelines through collaborative stakeholder engagement processes
- Training & Capacity Building: Designed and delivered gender equality training programs exploring stereotypes, prejudices, and equity issues in the WASH sector
- Cross-Organizational Coordination: Generated organizational support and feedback through strategic engagement with key stakeholders across multiple institutions
Social Business Lead
Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)
03.2016 - 03.2021
- Project managed multi-million dollar regional infrastructure programs with complex stakeholder landscapes
- Crisis Response Leadership: Led 2-year COVID-19 Hygiene & Behaviour Change project, coordinating rapid response messaging and service delivery to vulnerable communities including migrant populations
- Major Program Management: Served as Project Manager for USAID/West Africa Sanitation Service Delivery project (US$15.8M total budget), managing US$4M portfolio and coordinating activities across Ghana, Benin, and Côte d'Ivoire
- Results-Based Financing: Led innovative result-based financing project linking public subsidy disbursement to achievement of community sanitation outcomes, requiring sophisticated stakeholder management and transparent reporting
- Community Engagement Excellence: Successfully mobilized communities resulting in construction of over 5,000 household toilets through market-based approaches, demonstrating ability to translate engagement into tangible infrastructure outcomes
- Business Model Development: Developed enterprise-driven business models for sanitation service delivery, engaging local entrepreneurs and building sustainable community-led solutions
- Multi-Country Coordination: Coordinated project delivery across three countries, ensuring outputs met timelines, budgets, and stakeholder expectations in complex matrix environment
- Knowledge Management: Shared learning on market-based approaches across regional stakeholders, developing strategic guidelines for program implementation
Team Leader - Rapid Results Initiative on Cholera
Ga West Municipal Assembly (World Bank GAMA Sanitation & Water Project)
06.2015 - 07.2016
- Led multi-disciplinary stakeholder team for US$150M World Bank infrastructure program
- Multi-Stakeholder Team Leadership: Directed cross-functional team including Municipal Assembly staff, private sector partners, traditional leaders, and community members in delivering 100-day Rapid Results Initiatives
- Public Affairs & Government Relations: Successfully advocated to Chief Justice to establish special 'sanitation court day' for sanitation-related cases, demonstrating strategic government relations skills
- Awareness Campaigns: Designed and led community awareness activities to prevent cholera, improve sanitation practices, and accelerate household toilet construction
- Strategic Communications: Produced stakeholder-appropriate reports and communications materials, including video documentation of project achievements
- Infrastructure Project Delivery Support: Provided community engagement support for World Bank-funded major infrastructure program delivery
Programme Facilitator - Community Development & Sanitation Officer
Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)
09.2013 - 06.2015
- Delivered pilot infrastructure programs through community-centered engagement approaches
- Program Planning & Coordination: Planned and coordinated water and sanitation project activities across two municipal areas
- Pilot Project Leadership: Led 'Enhance Compound Sanitation' pilot reaching tenants, landlords, community leaders, and women's groups with tailored sanitation solutions, resulting in 5,000+ toilet installations
- Training & Capacity Building: Facilitated training for regional and district Water and Sanitation Teams, building local capacity for sustainable service delivery
- Private Sector Partnerships: Established linkages with private sector service providers to create market channels for sanitation services
- Compliance & Safety: Ensured compliance with health & safety regulations throughout project implementation
Project Coordinator/Consultant
IDEO.org/WSUP 'Crap Map' Project
10.2012 - 08.2013
- Led innovative digital engagement pilot for community-driven sanitation solutions
- Digital Engagement Innovation: Led experiment using digital platforms (phones, maps, databases) to facilitate collective community action on open defecation issues
- Community Mobilization: Stimulated collective action bringing together diverse urban residents to tackle sanitation challenges
- Public Sector Advocacy: Created community pressure resulting in public sector and other stakeholder investments in improved sanitation infrastructure
Communications & Customer Service Officer
Clean Team Ghana Limited
10.2012 - 08.2013
- Developed customer-focused communications and engagement strategies
- Content Development: Created regular content across website and social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook) to amplify company work and engage stakeholders
- Customer Insights: Conducted customer visits to understand needs, challenges, and aspirations, translating feedback into service improvements
- User-Centered Approach: Applied customer insights to develop customer-focused service delivery model
Education
Bachelor of Science - Natural Resources Management
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science And Technology (KNUST)
Ghana09-2010
Business Development Training - Short Course
Cass Business School
UK01.2019
MSc - Water Management
Cranfield University
UK01.2012
Skills
- Project Management Tools: MS Project, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word
- Data & Mapping: MWater, ArcGIS (Intermediate)
- Methodologies: Rapid Results Initiatives (RRI), User-Centered Design, Results-Based Financing
Timeline
Business & Partnership Lead
Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)
04.2022 - Current
Team Lead - Gender Mainstreaming Project
WSUP/USAID WALIS
06.2020 - 03.2021
Social Business Lead
Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)
03.2016 - 03.2021
Team Leader - Rapid Results Initiative on Cholera
Ga West Municipal Assembly (World Bank GAMA Sanitation & Water Project)
06.2015 - 07.2016
Programme Facilitator - Community Development & Sanitation Officer
Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)
09.2013 - 06.2015
Project Coordinator/Consultant
IDEO.org/WSUP 'Crap Map' Project
10.2012 - 08.2013
Communications & Customer Service Officer
Clean Team Ghana Limited
10.2012 - 08.2013
Business Development Training - Short Course
Cass Business School
Bachelor of Science - Natural Resources Management
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science And Technology (KNUST)
MSc - Water Management
Cranfield University
PUBLICATIONS
- Mazeau A.P., Wellington N., Drabble S., Asante F., and Awantungo D. (2014) 'Bringing toilets back to Kumasi's compound houses: landlord and tenant behaviors and motivators'. Proceedings, 37th WEDC International Conference, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Contributed to 'Market Assessment for Sanitation in Ghana: Identifying Opportunities for Growth' (2018)
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
- FOUNDER & FARM MANAGER
- New Sprout Farms (NSF) | April 2021 – Present (Part-time)
- Entrepreneurial venture demonstrating business acumen and community engagement through social media
- Built social media community of 5,000+ subscribers for business and manage affiliate Facebook page (Ghana Home Gardening) with 240,000+ members
- Developed growth strategies improving operations and reducing costs, achieving 30% profit increase
- Demonstrated innovation by prioritizing local root stocks and reducing plant imports by 50%