Prince Kofi Amoabeng Had A Contract With Dad To Excel
Young Prince's life would have been different today if he had given up on his education when the going got tough for his family.
After only one term in secondary school, his parents contemplated withdrawing him back to middle school because they could not afford his fees.
His father had then lost his job. But he was saved by Providence when he had a government scholarship that same term and, through sheer determination, he was able to do the best for himself.
Today, Mr Prince Kofi Amoabeng is the Chief Executive Officer of Unique Trust, a lending institution which has become a household name in the business world.
Giving the Junior Graphic a glimpse into his past, Mr Amoabeng, who started school at the Kukurantumi Catholic Primary School, was then the only privileged one who wore sandals to school. During that period his father worked with the Cocoa Marketing Company.
“I felt so awkward that I always took off my sandals on the way to school in order to be like the other children who did not wear sandals” , he said.
Young Prince had to change schools several times whenever his father was transferred until he ended up at Pennworth Preparatory School, a boarding school in Accra.
He described himself as a brilliant boy in school who signed a contract with his father to do his utmost to study hard. His father also promised to support him as much as possible.
Although he was not comfortable with boarding school life at that age, he readily adjusted, since his parents had separated and he did not want to stay with a stepmother.
When Young Amoabeng gained admission to Adisadel College in Cape Coast in 1964, he was an all rounder. He took keen interest in sports. He was a sprinter, played table tennis and cricket and was a member of the school's boxing club.
His love for sports took the better of him and that nearly cost him. He became so engrossed in sports that he paid little attention to his studies, which made him perform poorly in school.
“The stern look from my father during the holidays scared me and I realised that I had to sit up and live up to expectation,” he added.
His resolve paid off and he even won the national prize in Maths when he was in Form Four.
During vacation, he helped his dad on his poultry farm and also sold sugarcane to supplement his pocket money.
After his GCE 'O' Level Examination, Young Amoabeng continued his education at the St Peter's Secondary School at Nkwatia in the Eastern Region. However, he later regretted because he found the school boring.
“There was no fun at all; it was always learning,” And you know, as a young boy, I wasn't pleased with that, he said.
After completing Sixth Form, he gained admission to the University of Ghana, Legon, to study Accounting and Economics and graduated with a Second Class (Upper Division) with honours.
He had his national service at Accra Academy and later joined the Ghana Military Academy in 1975. He passed out the same year and got a scholarship to study Accountancy in the United Kingdom, after which he decided to go into business.
Mr Amoabeng, in 1990, formed a consultancy to assist people in raising loans from the banks and when this failed, he decided to form his own finance company to assist those who wanted loans. That led to the establisment of Unique Trust in 1997.
He currently has more than 300 workers and eight branches in Accra, Kumasi Takoradi and Tema.
He has six children and advised children always to set goals for themselves and work hard to achieve them.
Story by Hannah A. Amoah