Konnected Minds Podcast

Segment: From $30,000 to $30 Million: Building an Educational Legacy in Ghana

• Derrick Abaitey

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What transforms a small $30,000 investment into a thriving $30 million educational institution? The answer lies in an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement.

The journey of building one of Ghana's premier educational institutions reveals powerful lessons about leadership, succession planning, and creating sustainable organizations in Africa. With 2,400 students across multiple campuses in Kumasi and Accra, this school's growth exemplifies how the right mindset creates lasting impact.

"Success is a journey, not a destination" serves as the guiding philosophy that prevents complacency. Rather than celebrating arrival, the leadership team regularly seeks out gaps in their programs and addresses weaknesses before others notice them. This proactive approach ensures they consistently exceed expectations rather than merely meeting them.

One fascinating revelation involves the challenges of succession planning in African institutions. Initially focused on recruiting leadership from outside, they've now implemented robust internal advancement pathways, allowing loyal staff who've been with the school for 10-20 years to rise through the ranks. This shift has improved morale while preserving valuable institutional knowledge.

Beyond family business considerations, they're building structures to ensure sustainability regardless of who leads in the future. While their Cambridge-educated daughter may eventually join the leadership team, the founders are clear that family members must earn positions through merit and institutional understanding, not merely through lineage – a refreshing approach in the African business landscape.

Looking for more insights on building lasting institutions and navigating succession challenges? Subscribe to Konnected Minds and join our live event at the British Council on August 29th to continue learning from visionary leaders transforming Africa's future.

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Speaker 1:

always people come in there because you think you've arrived. You know, take it or leave it. If you won't come, you're already full anyway. No, that is not the attitude you have, and so I called my leadership together and I said now let's open our eyes wide and see what are all the gaps that we see in our school. And we just had a retreat, you know, two weeks ago, and we could see quite a bit of gaps Ourselves, and I know when people come very close, I see us, as you know, celebrated. But we'll see gaps too. So let's see them first and address them, so that we are doing our best to not just even meet people's expectations but actually exceed them. So that should be the way you think, and I think that is what is helping us.

Speaker 1:

Remember, I have said, success is a journey, not a destination. So if you know you're on a journey, it means there are always more you can do to improve on what you do, but if you think you've arrived, there's nothing more to do yeah, guys, I see, is what it is. We've already done what we could do. Uh, and that's why you're coming here anyway. If it wasn't good, why would you have come? No, no, no, no, no, no, it's a journey.

Speaker 2:

Look, I want to test your knowledge very quickly. How much you know your school Pretty?

Speaker 1:

well, but not that well.

Speaker 2:

So if I ask you how many students do you have?

Speaker 1:

in total, I have that I have, that I have. So I have about 2 400 so that both kumasi and akra, both kumasi and akra okay and total value of investment so far well we have done over in terms of funds that I've raised and invested and and reinvested from the school. We've done over $30 million. You've done incredible.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Now you've decided that. Well, not, you've decided. It's come to the point where you are celebrating your 25th anniversary. What's one big mistake that you've learned from?

Speaker 1:

From. Well, I think, let me see, I will say that my mistake. I'm sure there are several of them, not just one. So, I'm trying to think. I think one of the things that I could have done better in the past is how to strengthen succession, because one of the things that happens in an institution is people help build you up, and you have to think about how do you make sure people feel they can grow in this business with you Now there are a lot of people that have stayed in the school with us for 20 more than 20 years, 15 more than 15 years, 10 more than 10 years, five more than five years, and on and on.

Speaker 1:

And it just recently that we began to put in vice principals uh, you know, assistant head and all of that drawing from within, because we used to recruit from outside. And when we did that and people saw that they have been here, and they have helped create you know the success.

Speaker 1:

But others are coming in um and when others in there could have risen, that did create a bit of uneasiness on the part of some. Not a lot Now. That didn't mean we didn't take care of our staff very well. So we realized quickly that we need to do a lot of in-house Recruitment.

Speaker 2:

Training as well.

Speaker 1:

Training Well, we do a lot of training, but create opportunity for people to feel that.

Speaker 2:

Career ladder. Basically, yes, there's a path.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I can grow, I can go all the way up, I can become the director of the school and then I don't have to wait and see somebody comes from outside. But that can be a motivation because we have some very strong talents in the school and I can see some people that can easily walk into my role in the future, Others that can become principals and assistant principals. So we are beginning to do that. We could have done that a bit earlier, but we're also a relatively young school. So I think you know those kind of of you know walking the fine line, but I think that's one area that I think we could have done a good work on. But I think we are on the right path now. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

It's interesting you spoke about succession because I don't see this happen a lot in the school. You know sector as much. You see that in a lot of African businesses where the first generation does fantastic you and your wife, two founders doing amazing with the school. What's really the succession plan? Family-wise to say that, okay, these were my values, these were my ethos to myself and my wife pushing the business to this level. What's the carrying on plan?

Speaker 1:

Well, I've already just mentioned about within the school. You should be able to identify somebody that can walk into your position in the future, and people must feel that I am hardworking, I have the integrity I can do this, so that is one. The other thing we have a daughter in for the daughter who was the main reason why we started a school bound dr DB, a boy, because he's just finished a PhD at University of Cambridge. Debbie, if you hear the podcast, I salute you. She did an education, so we are hoping that one day she will come and help. You know, continue with the legacy.

Speaker 1:

But we are trying to build an institution that is more than a family business Wow.

Speaker 1:

That is more than a family business, wow and one that in the future, even if you're a family member, you get to the top by earning it, not only through lineage, and that is important for those that work for the institution and even for the person that comes to run it, because otherwise sometimes you put wrong people into wrong positions.

Speaker 1:

They have no institutional knowledge or memory and that might not go very well, you know, for the institution.

Speaker 1:

So we are trying to do that, so our daughter knows that and other kids that we have know that if they're interested in an opportunity, they would have to come through through the mill, understand the business and end their right into leadership.

Speaker 1:

So that's one path, with the idea that we don't want to carry the full burden of running the school today and in the future on our shoulders, we have to get to that point in the future where, if we are not there, somebody else, through institutional arrangement, can take over. So even though, on our minds, one of our children may take over, he or she will still have to go through an institutional process to get to that point. So that's what we are trying to do to make sure that we don't have the situation that a lot of African businesses go through, that when the owners are not there, the business disappear. So it is an important thing uh that we are doing and and we are confident that uh, the protocols you know uh are in place and will be in place when we are no longer there fantastic so just to remind you guys, on the 29th of august, at the british council, we are hosting our first connected minds live event.

Speaker 2:

I'm gonna put a link in the description here, if you're listening to the audio, you should be able to see that on spotify or apple as well, and if you want to come to that event, show up and learn something from a lot of business people. Your mindset is not going to be the same, doc. Where is the next audacious move? Going towards which region? Where is the next big move?

Speaker 1:

well, um, initially, our plan when I did my transformational thinner stamp for seed was to come to acra 2015. Uh, the plan was going to takarade in 2017 and then see where it's next. But I did a bit of survey in 2016 in Takarada. It wasn't really ready. Yeah, there's an international school there that has been struggling. So we realized that, no, takarada is not the next place to go and, to be honest with you, the markets beyond Kumasi and Accra for our kind of schools or businesses is very, very tight. Okay, so the campus at Obojo in Accra here is full and we have to see to where some people leave before we can admit. So, yeah, we have an admission process going on and we're hoping that some people will not return so others can come in, you know.

Speaker 1:

but the plan is, in the next year or two, to build another campus in Accra. So we are, you know, feverishly, you know, looking for a new land to build a new campus not too far from where we are, and it's likely to be in the high school, so we can move the high school. You know students there, but the parents will drive to the current campus, will bus them there and return them, so there's not so much inconvenience, you know created, know, uh, uh, for parents.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah I've kind of I kind of know that the amount invested in the early startup right in kumasi um, through funding and, you know, support here and there, but what I don't really know is your initial capital, from your pocket, you and your, your wife.

Speaker 1:

It was very small, I don't even remember what it was. We know we had to invest in some computers. The house rent the, you know paying teachers, you know from our pocket, you know, because the school didn't have enough money. You know, probably some $20,000, $30,000 for the first two or so years to what it is today and the value is multi-million dollars now. Wow, small things can grow If we are consistent, if we do things right, if we are humble, if we are honest, if we work hard.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Let me stop you here for a minute. If you've been watching this show, I want you to subscribe and become part of the family. We are on a journey of changing the lives of people on this channel and we appreciate you for being here, but if you haven't become part of the family, connect with us, hit the subscribe button and let's carry on the conversation. Doc what do you want your legacy to be?

Speaker 1:

Well, I don't want my legacy to be restricted.