Can you please tell us about your
self ?
We are a family of three; my wife
daughter and I. Our daughter is 13
years old. She thinks she is the boss.
Sometimes, I think she is right. I
have been married for a little over 13
years now. I attended Bishop Bowers,
PRESEC, St. Peter’s and University of
Ghana.
I have been working for the past 18
years after school excluding national
service. It has been 18 years of gaining experiences. I wouldn’t say I have arrived yet. I am still striving to get better and do more. I am very happy and grateful for where I am now. It has neither been easy nor terribly difficult.
I am thankful to God for the opportunities that come my way. I believe it is not because I am special but by the grace of God.
I come from a humble background.
My mum was a nurse at Korlebu who
comes from Cape Coast. My dad was
doing quite well till he lost his job
during Rawlings’ regime and he never
really worked afterwards and my mother had to work to sustain the family.
They are still together. I got the best
education as I attended some of the
best schools in Ghana and had very
good family support.
Growing up, I surrounded myself with friends who helped shaped my life positively.
Our personalities, choices, decisions, risks we take or not, all influence who we become.
After school, my national service was
at the district Assembly of the Asuogyaman District. The District Assembly was my first glimpse into public service. When I was finishing my national service, I felt maybe that was not what I wanted to do. During that time, we were willing to take any opportunities given. The case is still the same now and higher with
more graduates looking for jobs in a rather limited job market.
I constantly searched for job opportunities. My friends informed me when they heard of job offers anywhere. There was a management trainee advert by Standard Charted
Bank but I didn’t make it in time because of proximity (since I was at the Asuogyaman District) and couldn’t put my things together on time, so I missed it. There was another opportunity which was apparently from Unilever Ghana. We went through a series of training and selection processes but unfortunately, I lost it to two of my colleagues from University of Ghana. I was discouraged. Due to this, I explored other avenues. I started a marketing course .
Things took a different turn when I went to an eatery with my friends which was opposite St. Thomas
Aquinas School. It was at that eatery where I met the Head of HR for Unilever who told me they had been searching for me. The following week, I went for a series of interviews
and I finally got the offer. That was how my career started.
I have worked with companies such as Unilever Ghana, British Tobacco, Standard Chartered Bank, Celtel ( Zain/Kasapa), Vodafone, RLG and Ecobank.
My critical success factors have been based on people and great
teams. My wife and parents have
been very supportive. A lot of
people have been very influential in my life; David Afodale, Kojo Otuu, Charles Eshun, Jonas Baah, Eto Dei Tutu, Mr. George Owusu Ansa, Mr. Richard Ofodule, Kofi Fumey, Albert
Forson among others.
I would say there are very competent Ghanaian corporate leaders in the country who are doing a great job in their respective fields.
I think one thing that inspires me is when I see Ghanaians driving successful businesses.
My Story Magazine is doing a
great job at highlighting the stories of entrepreneurs across the country and beyond. However, I believe there is more to be done.
More entrepreneurs and business leaders need to share their
stories to foster growth.
Ghana has been through some major
setbacks such as the political
instabilities we were faced with
through the 60s to the early 90s.
Those times in our history were
marked by seizure of businesses among others. Sometimes, we
tend to appreciate others rather
than our own and it is important
we take a critical look at these
things. Companies like Huawei
and Samsung, and Airtel were
all started by young people who
were supported by their countries to become big. We should
encourage people with their
dreams and encourage them to
the international stage. I get excited about working with multinationals. I have worked with Ghanaians and learnt a lot from that. I think the benefit of working in a multinational company is the culture which you can pass down years later especially for some of those Ghanaians
running their own businesses.
People usually dwell on the negatives but I like to dwell on the positive experiences and opportunities. I believe there are both positives and negatives in everybody’s story but it is
usually the positive that drives their success. For me, the role of the negatives is to help you learn and do
better.
Most people focus on weaknesses but I believe it is better to focus on your strengths because leveraging on that can help us to deliver best results.
This is something we should embrace as Ghanaians. It is important that we develop our strengths so that we become exceptional at what we do. We tend to dwell on the negatives. I am grateful for where I am now
and I am humbled. I hope other individuals who are building businesses and pursuing a career should be determined and focused and remember that things don’t happen overnight but perseverance is key.
Can you share your experience at Tigo with us?
Most of the jobs I have done have mostly been about driving revenue, acquiring new customers, growing
profitability. During my time at Tigo, I focused on people and performance. I worked with a lot of young people and helped them leverage on good opportunities and they have gone on to become key personalities in their various fields. This has been a legacy for me.
What has been your source of motivation?
The will to succeed. I do not want to fail at what I have been given to do. Again, the need to provide a
decent living for myself. I want to leave a good legacy for my family.
What do you do for leisure?
I love soccer. I love to play PS4. I read books from quality writers. I visit my mum at Cape Coast sometimes. I love music too and love to listen to artistes
such a Adina, Kidi and Kwame Eugene Bob Marley,Culture, Joe Mettle, 2Pac, Daughters of Glorious Jesus and Ebony. I plan to tour Ghana on a road trip with my daughter
Do you think entrepreneurship is playing a key role in Africa
and do you think it will be able to solve most of our problems?
As Africans, we are entrepreneurial by nature and it is the way to go. The internet is making this possible these days. We should encourage people to go into entrepreneurship. We should venture into manufacturing, service delivery and export to gain foreign
currency.
I love the fact that today, there are many young people doing
exceptionally well. There are young people who can design and
sew suite and other clothing which can match up to other designers across the world. There is a young man who has a shoe making business. His brand is Alvanush, he makes great shoes. I have a pair of his shoes and whenever I wear them, people
think I got it overseas. Chocolate Factory Clothing, a Ghanaian fashion brand is doing well on the international stage and has been featured on CNN. We should support these Ghanaian brands by promoting and patronizing them and also help others to patronize our brands.
What will be your final advice to young entrepreneurs?
The first advice is that they shouldn’t lose their nerve or shouldn’t give up. Secondly, let us believe in ourselves and have confidence in our capabilities. We should also make it
a point to people’s ventures. Corruption is prevalent but it is
important that we make an effort to curb it. Let’s strive to build Ghana on the values of integrity and faith.
