Certified Africa was founded by husband and wife team Kristin Tellis Quaye (a licensed attorney who left corporate America to go full time with Certified Africa, Howard University graduate and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.) and Nii Armah Quaye (a Ghanaian born and raised, licensed financial advisor and motivational speaker). As an African American growing up in the United States, Kristin always felt a calling to travel to the African continent and connect with the people, her heritage, and ancestral roots, but there weren’t many travel companies that offered the type of immersive experience that she desired. Instead, she put together the type of experience she wanted. She attended Fordham’s legal study abroad program in Ghana which allowed her to clerk for Chief Justice of Ghana’s Supreme Court at the time– Her Ladyship Georgina Theodora Woods. She also made the bold decision to stay in Ghana for an additional two months of self-discovery and cultural immersion. She lived in a local Ghanaian neighborhood, took lessons to learn Twi, one of the local languages, bought food at the local market and took the local transportation trotro to work every day. Kristin developed invaluable relationships with Ghanaians who welcomed her and shared their culture, family, friends, and traditions with her. It was during these three months of living, studying, and working in Ghana that Kristin discovered her purpose of connecting the African Diaspora to Africa through travel. She also met her husband Nii through the study abroad program and literally fell in love on and with the African continent. A year later, Nii moved to the U.S, they got married and started Certified Africa. Now, Kristin and Nii, (who own several properties and businesses in Ghana) are a representation of Africans and the African Diaspora coming together through travel and intercultural exchange. They are on a mission to make travel to African countries easy, immersive, and life changing for millions of the African Diaspora who also have the longing to connect to their heritage.