African devel- 59 opment and the Influence of Tech- CONTENTS nology THE TEAM 7 things female en- Co-publisher Alvin Ofori 61 trepreneurs should 22 take note of when Dennis Kofi Borti meeting clients to close deals Cindy Nuamah 26 Cannabis oil Web Developer and 72 production; A Host manager popularly known as KKD is a great multi-billion dollar (GET SYSTEMS ) Africa has witnessed tremendous media icon whose ingenuity, created venture Vincent Ashong development in the creative industry, a whole new experience on radio and Jeffery Yeboah Tara Squire Quartey media, fintech as well as other indus- television and setting the pace for other 08 28 tries and Ghana is no exception. Over media professionals. He has been re- Tips for living a the years, many entrepreneurs have ex- ferred to many as a style icon owing to Business Develop- 74 healthy entrepre- plored emerging trends within differ- his eclectic and Afrocentric lifestyle. ment Manager Aurelia A. Attipoe neurial lifestyle ent sectors. Owing to our mission of 29 Derrick S. telling stories of African entrepreneurs, KKD is a trendsetter who has pio- Vormawor we sought to gain insights from great neered many initiatives. Personalities personalities whose expertise and en- such as Kwame Sefa Kayi, Okyeame 3 reasons your trepreneurial exploits have been instru- Kwame, Reggie Rockstone attested to 75 business isn’t mental in shaping entrepreneurship lo- his contributions within the industry. growing. Creative Director and cally and internationally. In this edition, Graphic designer we have highlighted stories from such This edition won’t have been complete professionals as well as features on oth- without the invaluable contributions of Abraham Adjekum er entrepreneurs and start-ups. some personalities and individuals. Michael M. Bonsu 12 Personalities such as the Head of Con- We will like to acknowledge the Gener- sumer Banking, Ecobank West Africa, al Overseer of Spirit Life Revival Min- Mr. Tara Squire shared his lessons and istries and his wife, Prophet Bernard & Editor experiences within the corporate indus- Mrs. Mimi ElBernard Nelson – Eshun try and the essence of digital reforma- who have been very instrumental in Edwina Kulego Carolyn Pomeyie Nana Akua tion. Michael Mensa-Bonsu, Publisher helping us birth this dream and con- 14 34 Frimpomaa of Agoo Magazine also shared his jour- stantly offering guidance and support.I Amofa ney in leading Ghana’s premier lifestyle will also like to acknowledge all the magazine and promoting communica- personalities who granted us the audi- tion and brand strategizing. ence to make this edition possible. We Caveman Calvin A. Agbenyo Contributing Photographers are grateful for the stories and lessons 18 38 Chinchie photography Among other things, we have insight- shared. I will also like to appreciate the Derrick Freeman ful features on business development, support of my team who played vari- Emmanuel Nkansah health and technology. ous key roles and for helping to make this journey worthwhile regardless of At My Story Magazine, we believe that the setbacks. What every entre- Contributing Writers Dorothy Kyeraah the effective use of media provides the 56 preneur must know John Armah basis for reformation and transforma- Let’s help build Africa one story at a in raising capital Daniel Sarpong Jnr tion. Thus, we can never undermine time! Derrick Vormawor its importance as it is an integral tool Dr. Velma Acquah for growth. Based on this premise, we Enjoy! Vincent Ashong Quartey sought to gain knowledge from one of the pioneers and leading Nana Akwasi Bonsu. icons of the radio and media industry who has changed the status quo of me- COVER STORY A concept of MSM inc. dia and communications in the country Celebrity Barber King Kwasi Kyei Darkwah Email: [email protected] and beyond. Kwasi Kyei Darkwa MD 20 41 Tel.: +233 (0) 20 95 23757 / +233(0) 24 10 80702 Subscribe: www.mystorymagazine.com 2 www.mystorymagazine.com www.mystorymagazine.com 3 4 www.mystorymagazine.com www.mystorymagazine.com 5 AFRICA’S PREMIUM ENTREPRENEURIAL RESOURCE Can you please tell us about your- teams. My wife and parents have self ? been very supportive. A lot of people have been very influen- We are a family of three; my wife tial in my life are David Afodale, daughter and I. Our daughter is 13 Kojo Otuu, Charles Eshun, Jo- years old. She thinks she is the boss. nas Baah, Eto Dei Tutu, Mr. Sometimes, I think she is right. I George Owusu Ansa, Mr. Rich- have been married for a little over 13 ard Ofodule, Kofi Fumey, Albert years now. I attended Bishop Bowers, Forson among others. PRESEC, St. Peter’s and University of I would say there are very com- Ghana. petent Ghanaian corporate lead- ers in the country who are doing I have been working for the past 18 tional service, I felt maybe that was not what a great job in their respective years after school excluding national I wanted to do. During that time, we were fields. I think one thing that in- service. It has been 18 years of gain- willing to take any opportunities given. The spires me is when I see Ghana- ing experiences. I wouldn’t say I have case is still the same now and higher with ians driving successful business- arrived yet. I am still striving to get more graduates looking for jobs in a rather es. better and do more. I am very happy limited job market. I constantly searched for My Story Magazine is doing a and grateful for where I am now. It has job opportunities. great job at highlighting the sto- neither been easy nor terribly difficult. My friends informed me when they heard ries of entrepreneurs across the I am thankful to God for the oppor- of job offers anywhere. There was a man- country and beyond. However, I tunities that come my way. I believe it agement trainee advert by Standard Charted believe there is more to be done. is not because I am special but by the Bank but I didn’t make it in time because of More entrepreneurs and busi- grace of God. I come from a humble proximity (since I was at the Asuogyaman ness leaders need to share their background. District) and couldn’t put my things togeth- stories to foster growth. Ghana My mum was a nurse at Korlebu who er on time, so I missed it. There was anoth- has been through some major comes from Cape Coast. My dad was er opportunity which was apparently from setbacks such as the political doing quite well till he lost his job Unilever Ghana. We went through a series instabilities we were faced with during Rawlings’ regime and he never of training and selection processes but un- through the 60s to the early 90s. really worked afterwards and my moth- fortunately, I lost it to two of my colleagues Those times in our history were er had to work to sustain the family. from University of Ghana. I was discour- marked by seizure of business- They are still together. I got the best aged. Due to this, I explored other avenues. es among others. Sometimes, we education as I attended some of the I started a marketing course . Things took a tend to appreciate others rather best schools in Ghana and had very different turn when I went to a eatery with than our own and it is important good family support. Growing up, I my friends which was opposite St. Thomas we take a critical look at these surrounded myself with friends who Aquinas School. It was at that eatery where I things. Companies like Huawei helped shaped my life positively. met the Head of HR for Unilever who told and Samsung, and Airtel were me they had been searching for me. The fol- all started by young people who Our personalities, choices, decisions, lowing week, I went for a series of interviews were supported by their coun- risks we take or not, all influence who and I finally got the offer. That was how my tries to become big. We should we become. career started. encourage people with their After school, my national service was I have worked with companies such as Unile- dreams and encourage them to at the district Assembly of the Asuo- ver Ghana, British Tobacco, Standard Char- the international stage. I get ex- gyaman District. The District Assem- tered Bank, Celtel ( Zain/Kasapa), Voda- cited about working with mul- bly was my first glimpse into public fone, RLG and Ecobank. My critical success tinationals. I have worked with service. When I was finishing my na- factors have been based on people and great Ghanaians and learnt a lot from 6 www.storymagazine.com www.mystorymagazine.com 7 AFRICA’S PREMIUM ENTREPRENEURIAL RESOURCE AFRICA’S PREMIUM ENTREPRENEURIAL RESOURCE that. I think the benefit of working in a multination- Do you think entrepreneurship is playing a key role in Africa al company is the culture which you can pass down and do you think it will be able to solve most of our prob- years later especially for some of those Ghanaians lems? running their own businesses. People usually dwell on the negatives but I like to dwell on the positive ex- As Africans, we are entrepreneurial by nature and it is the way periences and opportunities. I believe there are both to go. The internet is making this possible these days. We should positives and negatives in everybody’s story but it is encourage people to go into entrepreneurship. We should venture usually the positive that drives their success. For me, into manufacturing, service delivery and export to gain foreign the role of the negatives is to help you learn and do currency.