I stepped out of my comfort zone when I became an expatriate in Angola. It was like venturing into uncharted waters as it was the first time I had worked outside Ghana, my home country. But Azule Energy, a joint venture between BP and Italian energy company Eni, is a new company with all the work and excitement that entails. It has been a challenging experience and also a very rewarding one due to the complexity of the tasks. The best part of the job is constantly learning and growing within the industry. I also enjoy the opportunity it gives me to lead and interact with a large and diverse team.
Ghana faces a range of economic problems. There is a debt crisis, high inflation, unemployment and the devaluation of the local currency, the cedi. However, there are opportunities as the country is well endowed with natural resources. It also has a stable democracy and therefore is an ideal country for foreign investments.
The budding oil industry offered the adventure and challenge I had been looking for
I guess I have always excelled at maths and I enjoy working with data. I feel that my analytical skills are my greatest strength, thus accountancy was a natural choice for me. I initially joined EY Ghana after graduating with my bachelor’s degree. During this time, I was able broaden my horizons and to complete my professional ACCA exams, becoming a chartered accountant in 2008. My prestigious ACCA certification was pivotal to my success in the finance and accounting world.
After three years gaining experience at EY, I joined the banking industry. However, the move did not provide the challenge I was looking for, so after a couple of years I moved on and took up a position as a treasury accountant in the oil industry, with Eni’s Ghana exploration and production division.
Oil was a budding industry in Ghana at the time and so offered me the adventure and challenge for which I had been looking. I rose through the ranks to become treasury, accounting and insurance manager and also CEO of Okuafo Pa Foundation, an NGO set up by Eni in Ghana to support the socio-economic development of Africa and its sustainable transition to a green economy.
It was in 2022 that I was nominated for the secondment to Angola with Azule Energy. As area controller and assurance leader, my work entails leading the internal control, joint venture and reporting teams, and the various finance controllers in the Angola region. I have had a lot of achievements during my career, but the biggest of these must be the opportunity to mentor so many different people. I have helped them to reach new heights, both at Eni and other companies and I’m proud of that.
It would be an error for Ghana to concentrate on renewables at this point
As Ghana is relatively new in the energy industry, it is not well positioned to take advantage of the energy crisis in Europe. Currently Eni and Tullow are the only two companies producing oil and gas in the country. And in my view it would be an error for Ghana to concentrate on renewable energy projects at this point, since it has a lot of oil and gas reserves which should be fully exploited. However, renewable energy is the future of the world and investment should also be made in this area as soon as possible.
If I had law-making powers, I would put in place stiffer laws to deter and tackle the growing corruption in the country. And if I was not working in finance, I would be interested in being a human resource professional due to my interpersonal skills.
My hobbies include watching mixed martial arts and enjoying football. I am an avid supporter of Chelsea FC.
