Some love stories change two lives. This one changed thousands.
Meet Kristin Tellis Quaye and Benjamin Nii Armah Quaye—the visionary founders of Certified Africa whose cross-cultural romance became the foundation for one of the most transformative African travel companies serving the diaspora today.
Some love stories are written in the stars. Theirs was written in the soil of Ghana, in the laughter they shared, in the exhilaration of weaving through Accra traffic on motorcycles, in meals eaten together with their hands, in every moment that revealed the heartbeat of Ghanaian life, in the moment two people discovered they were meant to build something bigger than themselves.
This is how Certified Africa was born.
A Love Story That Spans Continents
Kristin's Calling
For Kristin Tellis Quaye, CEO of Certified Africa, a licensed attorney, Howard University graduate, and proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc( initiated at Alpha Chapter 2016), the pull toward Africa wasn't just curiosity - it was a calling that lived in her bones. Growing up as an African American in the United States, she yearned to connect with her heritage, her ancestral roots, and the people of the continent. But when she searched for travel experiences in Africa that went deeper than tourist attractions, she came up empty.
The kind of immersive, transformative journey she craved simply wasn't easy to find. While in law school, an attorney she knew suggested that she find a way to stay for as long as she could. After researching her options, she realized she could do exactly that through a legal study abroad program that would allow her to get credit for school while also providing time for immersion.
Kristin joined Fordham Law School's study abroad program in Ghana, where she had the incredible honor of clerking for Her Ladyship Georgina Theodora Woods, Chief Justice of Ghana's Supreme Court.
But she was searching for something deeper than a career milestone—she was searching for her roots, her heritage, her home. In the bustling streets of Accra, riding trotro transportation to work, learning Twi every chance she could, connecting with Ghanaians who welcomed her and shared their culture, she found what so many in the diaspora crave: authentic connection to the motherland. But here's where her journey took a turn that would change everything: she didn't leave when the program ended. She convinced her parents to allow her to stay for an additional month of free time, diving headfirst into the life of exploration she'd always imagined.
In those three transformative months, Kristin discovered her purpose: to be a bridge connecting the African Diaspora to Africa through authentic travel and cultural exchange.
But there was something else she discovered, too. Someone, actually.
Nii's Dream
Benjamin Nii Armah Quaye was born and raised in Accra with dreams that looked a lot like those of many young people growing up in Africa at the time. He wanted to make a good life in his country, and if the opportunity presented itself, maybe travel to England and build a life there.
He was on a path to becoming a lawyer when he encountered a law professor who would unknowingly become the architect of his future. Through this professor, Nii was invited to assist with a study abroad program - the very same program that brought Kristin to Ghana.
When Nii met Kristin, something clicked. They discovered they shared more than just polite conversation; they could be themselves around each other, no faking and they both dreamed of traveling the world.
Their love story began with a study abroad program. It blossomed over friendship and shared dreams. And it became a movement when they realized their purpose together: to reunite Africa with its global family through travel, cultural exchange, and authentic connection.
The Experience That Started It All
Toward the end of Kristin's time in Ghana, she received a call that would change everything: her parents told her they wanted to come visit her in the country. Together, Nii and Kristin did something beautiful: they crafted a life-changing experience for her parents. Not a cookie-cutter tour. Not a surface-level itinerary. But the kind of journey Kristin had been searching for all along - one filled with authentic connection, cultural immersion, and moments that felt like coming home.
For the first time, Kristin had created the feeling she'd always hoped for on a trip to the motherland for someone else, her family.
And in that moment, Nii and Kristin both knew: this was bigger than a single trip. This was a calling they could answer together in love and business.
A year after that transformative study abroad program, Nii moved to the United States. They got married and turned their shared vision into a reality.
When Love Becomes Legacy
Ten years later, Kristin and Nii are a living symbol of the magic that can happen when Africans and the African Diaspora come together through travel and intercultural exchange. Kristin, who left corporate America to pursue this mission full-time, and Nii, an entrepreneur and motivational speaker whose roots are deep in Ghanaian soil, have built something extraordinary.
They've cultivated a network of friends, family, guides, and partners across the Africa and the Caribbean. And when you travel with Certified Africa, that network becomes yours. Those friends become your friends. That family becomes your family.
We've built more than a company. We've built a community where travelers don't just visit Africa - they return to it. Where strangers become family. Where the experience you have isn't just a vacation; it's a homecoming.
Our Mission: Making Your Journey Home
We believe in celebrating life moments. In creating joy and memories that live forever. In the magic of serendipitous moments that can't be planned but always seem to happen when you're in the right place with the right people.
Our mission is to make Africa travel easy, immersive, and life-changing for the millions in the African Diaspora who, like Kristin, feel that deep calling to connect with their heritage and for those who have a deep love of exploring cultures and connecting with the people.
Because Certified Africa isn't about checking destinations off a list. It's about:
✨ Reclaiming your heritage
✨ Celebrating life's precious moments
✨ Feeling safe, supported, and seen every step of the way
✨ Creating memories that live in your heart forever
✨ Experiencing the unplanned magic that makes a trip unforgettable
We are your partner in joy. Your guide through discovery. Your family reunion you didn't know you needed.
We're the bridge between the African Diaspora and Africa. And we're here to make sure your journey feels like what it truly is: a journey home.
Book Them to Speak | Read Their Story | Join Their Journey
Kristin and Nii are available for keynote speaking engagements, panel discussions, and cultural exchange events on topics including:
- Relocating to Ghana: Navigating the Year of Return and beyond
- Doing business in Ghana: Opportunities, challenges, and insider insights
- Cross-cultural entrepreneurship and building international businesses
- Reuniting the African diaspora through travel and heritage tourism
- Black love stories that transcend borders
- Women leaving corporate America to pursue purpose-driven entrepreneurship
- Intercultural marriage and building businesses as a multicultural couple
- Making Africa accessible: dismantling barriers to diaspora travel
Their Story Continues—And You're Part of It
From a chance meeting at a study abroad program to building a thriving travel company that's changed thousands of lives, Kristin and Nii's love story is still being written. And every traveler who joins a Certified Africa experience becomes part of their extended family, their legacy, their mission to bridge Africa and its diaspora—one journey, one connection, one homecoming at a time.
This is more than a travel company. This is a love story that became a movement. Welcome home to the family. ✨🌍
Welcome to the Certified Africa family. We've been waiting for you. ✨🌍