The potential of opportunity in Ghana is infinite . . .

It’s difficult to believe that we have already completed our seventh day in Ghana. The experience has been extraordinary and going far too quickly for Kate, Fred and me. After a gorgeous, but long drive yesterday, it felt great to be on the ground in Accra and continuing our meetings with potential partners for Globase Ghana. We began this morning by meeting with Kingsbridge Corporate Services whose mission is to provide a “bridge out of poverty to a King’s living” via micro-financing resources, as well as, consulting services. The CEO, Manasseh Ofoe Portuphy, and his partners, Robert and Paddi were a wealth of information and resources and, like all of the Ghanaians we have met thus far, full of spirit and enthusiasm for their country.

Our Kingsbridge friends shared a story about one of their first clients, Dora, who approached them for a $150 loan. Kingsbridge provided the money but also advice on how to grow her business. Dora not only paid back her loan, but she has now grown her business to a point that she no longer requires financial support. The Kingsbridge’s focus on relationships allows them to use the power of the Ghanaian culture as a competitive advantage. As they build relationships in the varying communities, they are able to select trustworthy clients who are like Dora. Their work is inspiring and we are excited to continue our relationship with them. Thanks to Jake, one of our student leadership team members, for making the connection for us with Kingsbridge!

Also accompanying Manasseh and his team was an intern, Josh, who is an entrepreneurship major from Utah State University. Josh eagerly shared a great deal about his experience thus far in Ghana, and his excitement about the future potential of Ghana was contagious. There seems to be an opportunity to contribute around every corner and in every relationship that we encounter in Ghana. The culture and country of Ghana is infectiously gracious, warm, and full of hope – I truly am inspired in multiple ways with every new friend we make.

The opportunity for the Kelley School of Business and its students to make a sustainable, measurable positive impact for Ghanaian entrepreneurs is infinite. Equally infinite are the life-changing impressions that we can take away from Ghana as a result of our Globase experience and partnerships.

It’s tough to fall asleep each night after such thrilling days . . .

Kumasi bound

The last couple days deserve a blog. Kate, Sheri and I (Fred) started out our Friday with a good African rainstorm outside. As we would later learn this would make our journey north particularly challenging. Kate or Sheri will touch on this in their posts about Mole I am sure. Along with our guide George and driver Abd Allahi, we made our way to our appointment with The Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF) of Ghana. After taking a few detours around flooded streets, we made it to their office after an hour. We had a great meeting with four representatives from the Foundation. PEF is very involved in helping to educate and train small to medium businesses in Ghana in everything from health to best business practices and financial management. Many of the small businesses that PEF works with could potentially be good clients for our GloBaSE initiatives. We left feeling confident that they could be a viable partner for us as we move forward in planning for GloBaSE Ghana. Thanks Ebenezer for the connection.

After our meeting we hit the road heading North West towards Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city, with approximately 1.5 million people. Our tour company set us up with a 4x4 Landcruiser for the rougher journey heading towards Mole on Saturday. The drive to Kumasi as everywhere we have been driving this week was full of roadside entertainment. Everywhere you looked life was teeming, whether it be the goats running across the streets or the multitudes of people going about their daily business. It seemed as if everyone was either going to a market or in the middle of one. The colors, the sounds and changing scenery as we left the city mixed well with the Ghanaian ‘Hiplife’ music streaming from the car’s radio.

It took us about three and a half hours to reach Kumasi. I have been put in charge of trying out all the local cuisine. I had a choice between fried yams, fish heads or kabob. I chose the Kabob, which although I was told was Chicken, I am still unsure. Bush meat is popular here and ate and Sheri were pretty sure this is what I was chewing on. Ah . . the adventure of food! In Kumasi we took the afternoon to take in a couple of tours to learn about the Ashante Kingdom. Ghana's largest tribe, whose King still is said by some to hold more power than the President of Ghana.

Our first stop was at the main hospital in town. I know . . . you are thinking, why would we visit and tour a hospital? The hospital was built surrounding a sword placed there by an Ashanti warrior. The story is too long to tell, but it’s importance lies in that in over 300 years it has not been removed and legend says that if it is ever pulled up, the Ashanti Kingdom will come to an end. The legendary boxer, Mohammad Ali even took a tug at it. On the way back to the hotel we drove through the Kumasi central market, considered to be the largest open air market in West Africa. Hope you are enjoying the adventure with us.

Kate definitly had the words to describe our first day and half here in Accra. Here are a few more pictures from our first day. Today we head off to Mole National park in the north so we will most likely be without internet until Monday night or Tuesday. Enjoy the pictures. The first one here is the storefront of Global Mamas.













Unless you have been to Ghana, you would never guess what this is. Yes, it is a casket!













Fishing old school with the "La" people. We had to convince Sheri that she could not join them for their early morning catch.

Back in Ghana.

Today marks my first full day back in Ghana. I arrived yesterday accompanied by Sheri Fella, Prof. of Management, and Fred Perry from the IU CIBER Office. The three of us comprise the Globase Ghana Faculty/Staff leadership team. I made my first voyage to Ghana last March with Sheri as we accompanied 20 students and staff on a Kelley Undergraduate Program Emerging Economy trip. The objective of this visit is to explore potential partnerships with NPOs and burgeoning entrepreneurs in-country.

We arrived yesterday afternoon and on the way to our hotel, stopped briefly to purchase Ghana soccer jerseys from a local street vendor. Following a expedited check in and quick change in to our jerseys, we headed to a "spot" called Champs Sports Bar. Nothing like the Champps of American burger fame but an excellent place to watch the Ghana vs. Germany game nonetheless. Unfortunately, Ghana lost (1-0) but the crowd was quickly resuscitated as the tv announcer shared that Ghana advanced to the next round of play. Dancing in the streets, literally!

Today proved to be a productive day for our team of three. We visited two NPOs in Accra to discuss partnership opportunities. The first NPO, Women in Progress (WIP)/Global Mamas, works with Ghanaian women who sew batik fabrics and design bead necklaces among other items. We met with Renee, a former Peace Corps volunteer who founded WIP with one of her Peace Corps colleagues, and she had so much to share. I think there is real potential for partnership with the organization and/or its artisans.

We also met with an organization called Aid to Artisans Ghana (ATAG). Created by a mother/daughter team in the early 1990's, this organization works with Ghanaian artisans to develop products, educate them on business practices, and find markets for their crafts. The beauty I found in this organization was its leader's appreciation for the evolution of the global economy. She recognizes the need for her organization and its partners to weave the tradition of their craft with the modernization of the marketplace and ultimately, the preferences of the end consumer. Her realistic and business-oriented outlook, tills fertile ground for a partnership.

What stands out to me is the spirit of these women and, from what I can tell from their stories during our brief meetings, their perseverance to lead mission-driven organizations to better the working and living conditions of the communities in which they subsist.

We'll spend the remainder of the evening debriefing our day and all that we learned and preparing for our meetings tomorrow AM and a subsequent trip north to Mole. More soon!