Hon. Nicolaas C.M Van Staalduinen
Honorary Consul for Bulgaria in Ghana.
A Dafter Dutch born, Ghanaian representing Bulgaria as Honorary Consul.
Nico was born on the first of January 1958 in Leiden the Netherlands by most known as Holland. Nico inherited his love for Africa from his father a employee of Royal Shell mainly working in Africa.
Nico started his education at the humble level of lower technical education in carpentry and construction but took a long time to find his final direction through, middle agricultural school, higher hotelschool and eventually ended up studying economics at the Economic University in Amsterdam (HES).
During his studies and first jobs Nico was active in the youth and later Liberal Party VVD, the party of the Netherlands current Prime-Minister Mark Rutte., which represented as council member and in parliament.
Whilst most of his political friends continued as ministers, deputy prime-minister, governor of the Nederlandse Bank and other prominent political jobs Nico choose a commercial career first in the hospitality and later in poultry and game meat import export and production.
During his 19 year career in poultry, game meat and food production Nico created a multinational company active in Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chili and Uruguaye. With cold stores and packaging facilities in Holland and Belgium and sales offices in UK, Germany, France, and Italy.
His company became world market leader in 2002 being 3 times the size of his closest competitor to be sold in 2004 after which Nico moved back to Ghana at the age of 47.
Since 2000 Nico and his wife designed and build Dutch Hotel (now Best Western Beach Hotel) together with his wife Kayi Djifa Sodatonou and took up management of their hotel. Although still the owners he hotel is currently leased and not under his management.
Several years after retiring from his hotel Nico started as Managing Director of the Ghana Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (GNBCC) ad revived the chamber to become Ghana’s largest foreign chamber of commerce and setup the first European Chamber of Commerce in Africa EBO, which he rolled out on behalf the worldwide EBO organization in Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Uganda.
Nico is a former Honorary Consul for Ghana to the Netherlands, appointed by now President Nana Akufo Addo then Minister of Foreign Affairs under erstwhile President Kufuor.
Whilst living in Ghana Nico build a relationship with Bulgaria through business, holidays and his daughter Djifa a medical student in Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second largest city.
This relationship lead to his appointment in 2017 as Honorary Consul for Bulgaria to Ghana.
On the first of November 2018 Nico opened the Consulate of Bulgaria in Ghana at Cantonments after an absence of 11 years of Bulgarian representation in Ghana.
