Jospong Group, chaired by Ghanaian billionaire Joseph Siaw Agyepong, has recently signed an MoU with EKI Energy Services, an Indian carbon credit developer and provider.
The cooperation aims to boost the country’s carbon credit development. The deal has the potential to create over 1,000 jobs in Ghana and West Africa by 2030, according to Billionaires.Africa.
According to the deal, Jospong Group and EKI Energy Services aim to raise $1 billion in carbon credit finance. “We are partnering with EKI Energy because of their experience, so they can hand-hold us and propel strong development in the sector,” Siaw remarked in regards to the cooperation.
Siaw is one of Ghana’s top businesspeople and investors. He is both beloved and despised, but his businesses employ thousands of Ghanaians and people from other West African countries.
He is reportedly a millionaire, but his net worth is unknown.
Here are three things you need to know about the businessman:
1. Founder of Jospong Group
Siaw is the Group Chairman of Jospong Group Companies, a conglomerate that operates in a variety of industries, including sanitation, printing, rice and fertilizer production, banking, ICT, and vehicle manufacturing. He founded the company in 1995 as a printing press and has grown it into one of Ghana’s largest corporate organizations, with holdings in over 14 sectors and 60 subsidiaries across Africa and Asia.
2. He aspired to be a pilot
One of Siaw’s early career goals was to be a pilot. However, things got in the way of his goals. After finishing primary and middle school, he attended the Royal Technical Institute in Accra, where he studied for the City and Guilds of London certificate. He graduated in 1990 with an Electrical Engineering Technician (Part II) certificate.
When Siaw planned to enroll at the Accra Polytechnic, his mother, who sold school books, became unwell, forcing him to postpone his tertiary education. He also took over the daily operations of the tiny shop. Many people were surprised by how quickly the firm expanded.
3. He is an elder of the Church of Pentecost
Siaw includes God in all of his companies. God has been the driving force behind the expansion of his business. It’s no surprise that he’s an Elder in the Church of Pentecost. Furthermore, he has played an important role in the church’s expansion by financially supporting its activities. Not only that, but he encourages his church members to be entrepreneurs and create jobs like him.