At high school I had no interest in finance and was hoping to become an architect. However, a chance meeting with my mentors challenged the negativity I had about the accounting profession, and I decided to change my path. I began my ACCA Qualification during my second year at business school, and graduated as overall best in Ghana for my graduate year.
In my experience, the corporate world offers useful accounting exposure during the early years of a career. I wanted to start with the basics, get my hands dirty, make mistakes, learn and work my way up the ladder. This helped my understanding and has made me a much better professional accountant with strong business acumen.
I now have more than 16 years’ experience in finance, accounting and auditing under my belt. I have worked in a myriad of industries, including ICT and telecoms, logistics and supply chain, oil and gas, and shipping and port management.
I started out as a management trainee at the Ghana office of shipping group AP Moller (APM)-Maersk, where I was promoted to accounting manager following a secondment to Maersk Saudi Arabia. Moving sectors, I worked with service station operator Engen Ghana and Airtel Ghana as finance manager and financial reporting manager, respectively.
We aim to bring efficiencies to terminal and port operations, reduce average dwell days and pass on these efficiencies to the end user as cost savings
My first CFO role was back in the shipping industry at APM Terminals Ghana. I spent two years building and stabilising the finance department in that country before moving on to become CFO of the inland services activities for West and Central Africa, consisting of Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Next came a four-year period as a CFO in the IT sector, before I took on my current role as CFO at Atlantic Terminal Services (Port of Takoradi).
Situated in the western Ghana, Takoradi is the country’s oldest port. In recent years it has undergone development and expansion as it seeks to become an alternative gateway into Ghana. We aim to bring efficiencies to terminal and port operations, reduce average dwell days and, ultimately, pass on these efficiencies to the end user as cost savings.
The main challenges for businesses in Ghana are access to credit, the high cost of credit and a weakening local currency. However, there are opportunities too. Ghana benefits from a stable political and democratic system, there is press and media freedom, and adherence to human rights. Government initiatives, including public private partnerships and pushing the agenda of the private sector as the engine of Ghana’s growth, are all taking us in the right direction.
Global supply chain issues since the pandemic will persist for the next few years. However, businesses worldwide are adapting to these new developments and things will even out, with lessons learnt by all the main players.
What I enjoy about my job is being a business partner to the organisation, and assisting it to increase in value and relevance. I believe the CFO role has migrated away from the traditional accountant tasks to a business partner role. Our emphasis is now on proactive business controls, taxation, compliance and a broad understanding of the business.
If I had law-making powers, I would like to incorporate far more corporate governance into binding legislation.
My biggest achievement has been to mentor and advise young people venturing into the accountancy profession. I find it very rewarding to see them grow and later occupy key accounting and finance roles.
If I weren’t an accountant, I would like to have been an airline pilot.
In my spare time I love being with my family. I also enjoy football, reading novels and watching movies.
