Who is Ghana’s richest man? He is Charles Ampofo. Many Ghanaian youths do not even know that Charles Ampofo is Ghana’s wealthiest person. It is not surprising since he is not quite flamboyant like Osei Kwame Despite, not as politically oriented as Paa Kwesi Nduom, or as vociferous as Kennedy Agyapong.
Charles Ampofo is the Chairman of Kampac Group whose flagship company is Kampac Oil based in Dubai, UAE. Goodman AMC, a management consulting firm here in Ghana, estimated his net worth to be about $1.46 billion in mid-2015. Ever since he was adjudged as Ghana’s richest man, I have been learning from his success story. And I deduced 5 important lessons the youths can learn from him.
(1) Strive to go global:
In an article on businessworldghana.com, Charles Ampofo remarked that, “When I started business, the idea was not to be just a local champion but to build a global company and I knew that, to achieve that, I had to be out there competing with the best.” Yes, Ghanaian youths, especially the entrepreneurial or gifted ones, need to think of and work towards going global. But they have to understand the global competitiveness of their respective fields, and study the dynamics of globalisation too.
(2) Gain mastery over your field through lifelong experience:
Charles Ampofo has been an oil and gas entrepreneur for more than 30 years, and that has made him a titan in the international oil and gas business. He does not have any academic qualification in oil and gas, chemical science, or engineering, but he gained practical knowledge and real skills in his area through lifelong experience. Indeed, mere academic knowledge never produces excellent results; the right lifelong experience actually does.
(3) Maximise huge opportunities you really like:
I emphasise “really like” since you do not need to venture into a field simply because it has huge opportunities. You ought to have true love for it before you seek to maximise that business opportunity. Charles Ampofo had keen interest in the oil and gas sector when he was in college, so he established his own oil company after completing university.
(4) Be strong-willed:
How will you notice that you are strong-willed? Okay, most people will perceive you as being arrogant, cocky or overambitious. That means that you cling on to your own purpose to the dismay of mediocre and myopic minds. Mr. Ampofo recounted how his classmates at school thought he was an overambitious dreamer. Yet he confidently knew what he wished for. In essence be strong-willed and you will be heading towards financial success.
(5) Forget untoward circumstances and focus on your passion:
Charles Ampofo was born into a struggling family by a blacksmith and a housewife in a rural community. His dad died when he was a little child, so his single mother raised him up. However, he developed a passion for commerce at a very young age in order to supplement his mom’s support. He got involved in trading while schooling in the face of challenges until he emerged filthy rich several years later.
Number 1 is my most favourite; what about you?