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#Ghana60YearsOn: #MightyAfrican stories, thoughts and hopes

We called it the GhanaThink Foundation because we thought (and would continue to think) about Ghana. It's been more than 12 years since GhanaThink was born. It's also been a while since I did a blog post, or even wrote a piece for this #mightyafrican blog . Today is a great day to break that duck. Ghana is 60 years old ! We are celebrating, marking, reminiscing, criticizing, strategizing, thinking and doing.  I love #Ghana so much. It's great to mark #Ghana60YearsOn . #Morevim 4 all that we do. #GhanaAt60 : Less talk, more action. More vim to that. pic.twitter.com/oy793QMr8X — Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 6, 2017 To be frank, I am not as excited about Ghana, mostly because of our growth pace, development we can fell in around us and in our pockets and the politics and antics I've seen that are hurting Ghana and don't seem to be abating. However, I have always been excited about Ghana. More than 10 years ago, I decided to stop bothering and focusi...

The Formative Spark: How Early Ambition and Versatility Shaped My Journey

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  My journey didn’t begin in a living room with a famous or successful business man or politician in Ghana . It traces back to the vibrant, intellectually charged environment of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology ( KNUST ) campus in Kumasi , Ghana. Growing up, my parents were senior lecturers , and I was immersed in an academic ecosystem that felt both comfortable and, in a way, predetermined. There was an unspoken expectation—the path of least resistance—that I would follow in their footsteps, attend KNUST , and continue that cycle. This reflection comes after an insightful conversation I had with Kwame Boateng of Africa Capital Connect , where we dug deep into the origins of my entrepreneurial path [ 03:10 ]. You can watch our full, wide-ranging discussion on the Africa Capital Connect YouTube channel here: But there is a specific kind of entrepreneurial spirit that is often forged in the fires of teenage rebellion. At that stage in my life, I felt an i...

Understanding South Africa’s Current Tensions: Insights for Ghanaians and Fellow Africans

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My brothers and sisters in Ghana and across the continent, Once again, distressing images have flooded our timelines: Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa , shops attacked, harassment in townships, and the painful label of “xenophobia.” As I sit in Accra reflecting on my own experiences in Mzansi , my heart feels heavy. This piece, co-written with my South African alter-ego Siyabonga Mthimkhulu , draws from candid conversations I initiated with several South Africans , my personal travels, and realities many outsiders miss. We need understanding and #MoreVim , not just outrage. My connection to South Africa goes back to November 2011. I visited both Joburg and Cape Town while there for Google work. And then in May 2013, I was in Cape Town for the World Economic Forum on Africa — #shapeafrica . Wearing my GhanaThink Foundation , badge proudly, I immersed myself in sessions, networking, and cultural exchanges. The city greeted me with Table Mountain watching over everything, th...

GhanaWeb Asked Me Binary Choice Questions & This Is What I Said

Post the 2025 GhanaWeb Excellence Awards , I visited GhanaWeb ’s offices for an interview on their BizTech show. I answered questions about STEM in general, technology, entrepreneurship, youth development, innovation, and community building. What I didn't expect was to be put on the spot afterwards with a series of rapid-fire "this or that" questions. Waakye or Jollof ? NPP or NDC? Stonebwoy or Shatta Wale ? And some other questions that required quick decisions with no time to overthink. I've spent years speaking about technology, startups, volunteerism, leadership, and personal development, but sometimes the hardest questions are the simplest ones. After all, some choices can spark more debate than discussions about artificial intelligence or entrepreneurship! A lady came into the studio after Mawuli had interviewed me for GhanaWeb’s BizTech show . She said she wanted to record something for social media. She used her phone, very Gen Z like . This is the kind ...