Ghanaian role models

By Charles Anyomi

One shining example of a Ghanaian who has succeeded and established a fully-fledged university with thousands of youth benefiting, giving employment to thousands of people across the country, being followed by hundreds of thousands of worshipers around the globe, and also giving relief to hundreds of individuals is the Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams, the founder and the visionary of Action Chapel International.

What Ghana needs is her young people to have confidence in themselves to believe they can walk on water, and to do that, they need role models. The existence of role models boosts confidence and helps people dream. Success can be learnt. If you do the things a successful person did to become successful, you too will become successful, not necessary in the same field, but in another field.

Today, God has blessed us with an increasing number of successful Ghanaians, and young people can learn from their experience and examples and be motivated to also succeed. Not everyone will find the way to success on his own and we do not need to stumble and fumble around looking for the way to success when God has blessed us with those who have already found that way.

Role models are persons whose behaviour, examples or success is or can be emulated by others.

Some Ghanaian Success Examples

For the purpose of this article, I can quickly reference some ten names: Mr Williams Ato Essien of Capital Bank; Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom of Nduom Group; Alhaji Dr Asuma Banda of Antrak Air; Eric Seddy Kutortse of First Sky Group; Kwasi Twum of Multimedia; Moses Baiden of Margins Group; Bediako Sampong of Ernest Chemist; Edward Effah of Fedility Bank; and Kwami Achampong-Kyei of Glico Insurance. These are people with an incredible story to tell of how to be successful.

As an example of an inspiring story, William Ato Essien found himself working as head porter at Kaneshie Market in Accra at age 15. He carried various items for market women and shoppers in order to fend for himself. Later, he sold mobile phones and bales of "obroni waawu" (used clothing).

However, today, his story is so different. He is now an accomplished entrepreneur and the founder of First Capital Plus Bank, and a number of other companies including Essien Swiss International Capital Holdings (ESICH), Gye Nyame Mines, and Wade-Laurel Printing Press Limited. Through these companies, he employs thousands of people across the country and other African countries.

Eric Seddy Kutortse also had a very difficult beginning. But from a small one-room office, he has been able to grow a construction business into a group status. Today, he is the chairman and CEO of First Sky Group with subsidiaries including First Sky Construction, First Sky Commodities, Volta Serene Hotel, and Serene Insurance, and this companies provide gainful employment to many people.

Edward Effah, the Group Chairman of Fidelity Bank, Fidelity Asia Bank and Fidelity Securities Limited has also been able to grow Fidelity Bank into the largest privately owned Ghanaian bank, and the 4th largest in terms of assets and deposits. These success stories must not be dismissed but rather perceived as worthy examples to be learnt from and duplicated.

Young people learning

As a matter of truth, the young people of this country need role models; people they can look up to, be inspired by their achievements, and to also have confidence to dream of a better tomorrow. As the Good Book says, where there is no vision, the people perish, or in our context, they become aimless.

A lack of a compelling picture of a desirable future will only stifle the eagerness of people to make a difference. Role models motivate us as well as helping to uncover our true potentials to overcome our barriers. Success stories enable people to be more willing to remain resolute in the face of difficulties and challenges, and to defy the odds stacked against them.

The Ghanaian success stories we celebrate today were not achieved on silver plaster, or through unethical means, or using get-rich-quick schemes. They were forged on the altar of hard work, determination and patience. These achievements did not come overnight.

They are the product of years of gradual accumulation and progress which have now become great success stories. There is no shortcut to success and young people must be willing to work hard and avoid all get- rich-quick means which is just a trap for their destruction. Young people must exhibit the virtue of patience to endure delays, difficulties and challenges on their path to success.

Today, due to technological advances, it has become easier to achieve or accomplish exploits than ever before. Moreover, gone are the days when one could mention only few successful people in this country. At present, we are surrounded by many accomplished people, and young people must develop the hunger to learn from these examples.

Ghana's youth—if they are serious about duplicating success—must show interest in researching the success stories in this country. Furthermore, they must be prepared to go further and build and on these successes through availing themselves and demonstrating a willingness to learn and push fixed boundaries.

As another point, we cannot attract into our lives what we criticize, condemn and dismiss; therefore, we must have the healthy attitude of celebrating successful people. Those who celebrate success duplicate success and people who criticize and rubbish successful people never create success. Like a bird, success develops wings and flies away from such people.

We all need role models to inspire our own success. As one wise man said, "A baby elephant does not need to pray to become big, but all he needs to do is to eat what the mum is eating, do what the mum is doing, and he will become big automatically."

When the subject is intricately reviewed, we may agree that there is nothing mystical about success: if you do what successful people are doing, you will replicate their results. So find a role model and walk in their tracks to your expected and exalted success.

Writer's e-mail: [email protected]