Konnected Minds Podcast

Segment: From School Founder to Philanthropist: Expanding Access to Quality Education in Ghana

• Derrick Abaitey

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"None of us are successful by our own intelligence and hard work. We are successful because of what society has given to us, and it's imperative that we give back."

These powerful words from a prominent international school founder in Ghana encapsulate the transformative journey shared in this episode. Having educated hundreds of students who've gone on to elite institutions like MIT, Brown, Columbia, and prestigious companies including Microsoft and Goldman Sachs, he could easily rest on his accomplishments. Instead, his 60th birthday marked the beginning of an ambitious new chapter.

The Child Civil Education Foundation represents his commitment to extend quality education beyond the walls of his successful school to reach underprivileged children throughout Ghana. With a substantial personal investment and a laser focus on teacher development in public and low-fee private schools, this initiative tackles the fundamental challenges facing Ghana's education system. The conversation explores why basic education has been neglected, revealing how public schools have deteriorated to the point where even teachers don't enroll their own children – yet these institutions serve the country's most vulnerable populations.

Drawing inspiration from Bill Gates' philosophy of not wanting to "die rich," this educator challenges successful Africans to reciprocate the goodwill they've received from global philanthropists. His insights on working alongside his spouse, balancing motivation with discipline, and addressing systemic educational inequality provide a blueprint for meaningful impact. Whether you're passionate about education, philanthropy, or creating lasting change in developing nations, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical wisdom for making a difference where it matters most.

Ready to explore how quality education can transform lives and communities? Listen now and discover how one person's commitment to "not die rich" is creating pathways to success for countless children across Ghana.

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Speaker 1:

to the school that my wife and I founded, Even though, you know, having educated hundreds of students that have gone to the world's best schools. I see students have gone to MIT, they've gone to Brown, they've gone to Columbia, they are at Johns Hopkins, they are at Cornell, they are at UPenn, Rice, all over the place, Cambridge, UCL, Stalin, all over Ashesi, KNUSD, Legon, and they are working at Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg, you know Doctors, you know Confanoche, all over the place, Big engineering firms around the world. So I can sit back and say, oh boy, I have done so well. The school has created, you know so many, you know, has developed so many people, has developed so many people. But, Derek, if you live in Ghana and you run even a school like ICS, you cannot live in a bubble. The country is vast and there are so many children that don't have the opportunity that children in ICS have.

Speaker 1:

And that is why, at my 60th birthday recently, I decided I would set up a foundation that I called Child Civil Education Foundation, and the purpose really behind this whole thing is to extend my legacy beyond the walls of ICS and to extend the kind of quality, good education that children from ICS I mean children at ICS are getting to as many children in Ghana as possible.

Speaker 1:

So the focus of the foundation is going to be on developing teachers in public schools and low-fee private schools, training teachers in best practices so that the children that they educate can also have best experience, succeed and thrive, succeed and thrive. The foundation will invest in some scholarships. You know, for some students the foundation will invest in some light infrastructure improvement like if there was a ceiling or roofing issue or floor issue, tables and chairs, uniforms, learning materials, but more the focus will be on teacher development, because that is where we think we can impact more children. I am committed to devote a substantial portion of my personal net worth towards the foundation and I just started recently with over 1.5 million cities, with a goal of adding and growing it in the next five to seven years to close to a million dollars, myself and a number of people that have expressed interest that when you get going, please call on us.

Speaker 1:

We want to partner with you Because I believe Derek recently, if you heard Bill Gates announce that in the next 20 years he will give away 90% of his 200 billion away, and I think those of us in Africa that have been recipients of such goodwill From people like Gates and other foundations from around the world, if we have been blessed, if we are resourceful, we should consider giving back in a meaningful way, because, you know, none of us are successful by our own intelligence and hard work.

Speaker 1:

We are successful because of what society has given to us and it's imperative that we give back. And I like what Bill Gates said I don't want to die rich, and that was a powerful thing to me and I have resolved I don't want to die rich, whatever little that I have. I want to die giving that. What I have, I'll give to my family, I'll give to my church, I'll give to other people that are needy, but I was going to be very deliberate and intentional in giving to society as a way of enriching those that are currently not within my reach as far as the school is concerned. So I want to be remembered as somebody who came from the States. You know, built great schools, impacted so many children within the walls of ICS, extended his reach to many children in Ghana through the foundation that he created, and because of that, many children in Ghana have had quality education and a great future.

Speaker 2:

I think you've done fantastic. In a previous interview which I watched, you said that you know there are potential issues with the current government education. As a matter of fact, I think the words were the education system is almost broken. You're educating people. You've done fantastic with what you're doing with your school. What do you think needs fixing in our government education system to align with what a lot of private schools are doing and what actually makes people push their kids into private schools rather than government schools?

Speaker 1:

Well, you know, I think we know the problems are many, but one area that I think government over the years have neglected is the basic level. I mean, if you've driven around town and seen basic public schools, the buildings some are falling apart the paintings, the classrooms, potholes in the classrooms teachers' motivation is way low. I have discovered in my interaction with public school teachers. Most of them don't trust the system enough to put their own children there. So how do you expect? And so the public schools ends up being patronized by the very, very poor who can't afford to take their kids even to the low-fee private schools. And, derek, the sad part is this People from poor homes are the ones that need the best of education, because education is the best equalizer. If we want to create a country where everybody has a chance to succeed and not just a few of us to succeed and not just a few of us, then those that are I call it trapped in the public school system really need more opportunities than those that are from middle-class families, because for a lot of us, to be honest with you, even if you went to the public school, you still figure a way, you know, to get to where you want to be or you have some backing People in the public schools. They have no backing. And so if you have a government that really cares and I know the government over the years have done their best the high school system and all of that and training teachers. But they need to pay attention to the basic schools and teacher development.

Speaker 1:

But I think it's also not just government, it's also people in the public school system, the teachers. They need to understand that we are all in this together and that every Ghanaian teacher or educator must endeavor to contribute his or her quota to helping these poor children come along. We should not give up on them, we should not believe in them, and you know a lot of teachers go to school, they put their bags and then they're out. We are contributing to a system that is broken. And you know what? Because private schools have stepped in. You go elsewhere in the world, when there's a new community, the government will go and build a public school, but for so many years in Ghana, private people have just stepped in. So in middle class neighborhoods they will start a school. The government has known how to do that for so many, many years, and the ones that were created many years ago. They're also not taken care of. So I think that this current government and governments that will come in the future really need to pay attention to the business school.

Speaker 2:

Doc, you've had relations with previous you know ministers of education. You've had conversations, you've sat on panels where these conversations have been going on. You know what are they trying to do about it.

Speaker 1:

I think the system is. I mean the problem is much deeper than that. I think the system is. I mean the problem is much deeper than that. I think that leadership, from what I know in Ghana, is really what the president decides. Really, the minister may have all his ideas about what he can do the previous, the form, I mean the current but it is what the government the president and his government wants to do With all your ideas. If the president says that's not part of my vision, it won't happen. But yeah, we've tried, I've supported in so many ways and I'm still trying to support, but the government has to see that we need to touch the foundation level. You can't have even a great high school when the basic is weak. You can't build a superstructure on a foundation that is shaky, and that is something I think that we don't see and the government needs to see that.

Speaker 2:

What's one thing you like about working with your wife in one business?

Speaker 1:

The one thing that I would say is that she is the only person that usually has the boldness to tell you what you are doing. That is not right. So that's a positive right. So because even your top leadership may see sometimes, you know, usually at meetings, they will share things that are not going well, and in ICS we really respect the views of everybody. But when it comes to some personal issues, things that you said, things that you said, things that you did that people are afraid to talk about, it takes your spouse to say this, you didn't say it. Well, you know, and, and that I value, you know, uh, from working with my, my wife thank you.

Speaker 2:

Is there anything we could have spoken about that we haven't? That you still think we can have a quick chat about?

Speaker 1:

No, I think we've covered quite a lot. We've covered quite a lot, but I really commend you, derek, for what you are doing to really shape the minds of young people and for the entire Ghanaian entrepreneurial you know community. We need to be having these kind of conversations to build each other up and to support each other to grow in this laudable journey of business, and so I commend you for doing this and doing it in a manner that is kind of selfless. Thank you.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much. Our question is motivation or discipline, both Okay.

Speaker 1:

You need to be disciplined, and I've talked about some of the things, whether it's fiscal discipline, paying your debt, getting up and doing what you have to do, and discipline is I like the Nike slogan just do it. Just do it. Don't wait Tomorrow, don't push, but just have the discipline to do what you have to do. So it's important, but we can be motivated also, you know. So things like what you're doing helps people, because life can be tough. You know, sometimes you may want to do all that you want to do.

Speaker 2:

You may have all the discipline, but some urging, some, you know, can be helping. Connected Minds Podcast.