Captain Prince Kofi Amoabeng has warned that Ghana’s toxic environment could corrupt up to half the young leaders he trains before they transform the system. The founder of the PK (Prince Kofi) Amoabeng Leadership Foundation made this sobering admission during a December 19 graduation ceremony in Accra that saw 19 scholars complete the program while 19 new inductees began their journey.
“Now they are fresh. They are ready to change the world. But then we throw them back into the toxic environment, and if there are 20 of them, I will pray hard that not more than 10 are changed by the system,” Amoabeng stated bluntly during the event.
The retired military officer, whose defunct UT Bank collapsed in 2017, has redirected his energy toward building what he describes as a critical mass of ethical leaders capable of resisting prevailing corruption and mediocrity. His approach hinges on scale. If the foundation secures adequate funding to establish a full academy, Amoabeng believes it can produce enough principled leaders to outnumber those the system corrupts.
“The idea is if we have more funding, we can form an academy and throw in a lot of these hopeful young people so the system cannot eat most of them up,” he explained.
Guest speaker Nana Sam Agyensaim VI illustrated the resilience required for transformative leadership by recounting his own struggles in London. The chief worked two grueling jobs simultaneously, including a 12-hour overnight security shift and a day position at Harrods department store, for 18 months to build his foundation. His story offered graduating scholars a blueprint for endurance in hostile environments.
Former Electoral Commission chairperson Charlotte Osei delivered the keynote address, challenging the cohort to prioritize results over rhetoric. “The people of Africa no longer want promises; they want results. They want leadership that is honest, transparent, and effective. And it is you, the graduating cohort, who must lead the way,” Osei declared.
She noted the graduation’s timing, coming immediately after Ghana’s 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, and urged the scholars to embrace merit-based leadership. “The era of choosing leaders based on religion, ethnicity, or political affiliation is behind us. This is a new age. We are in an era where leaders are chosen based on merit, their ability to serve, to deliver, and to inspire change,” Osei said.
Top graduates Solomon Boakye and Lady Ithra Rachel Naadu were recognized for outstanding performance during the intensive program. New inductee Gloria Ansah, speaking on behalf of her cohort, pledged to forge new paths rather than simply following existing ones. “Our promise is to do better as a generation. You can count on us to not simply walk a path already built, but to forge our own,” she said.
Amoabeng employed a vivid metaphor to describe the foundation’s challenge. He likened the effort to making asana, a bitter local drink that requires substantial sweetening. “The more sugar you put in, the more you can drink it,” he said, suggesting that Ghana’s bitter reality demands an overwhelming influx of ethical leaders to become palatable.
The ceremony drew prominent attendees including Kwesi Amoafo Yeboah, chairman of the Venture Capital Trust Fund; former Deputy Minister of Education Twum Ampofo; and Dr. Jennifer Bruce Konuah from Tullow Ghana. Dr. Konuah reaffirmed her company’s commitment to providing capacity-building resources for the program.
Ahmed-Sherrif Kanvela Yussif, a genetic counselor at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, spoke for graduating scholars and thanked mentors including Dr. Irene Wulff and Kwesi Amoafo Yeboah for guidance throughout the program.
In a media conversation after the event, Amoabeng said his mission is to invest properly in next generation leaders, stating “We need to rewrite all the wrongs and get it right by investing in the right leaders for the next generation that comes after us and that’s what this phase of my life is meant for. I want to empty all that’s in me.”
The PK Amoabeng Scholars Program launched in 2023 with 20 participants in its first cohort. It combines military training, executive mentorship, local and international courses, and leadership seminars into a comprehensive year long experience designed to prepare young Ghanaians and Africans for transformative roles.
Amoabeng’s most heartfelt appreciation went to sponsors and particularly to Nana Sam Agyensaim VI, whose consistent support creates what the founder calls a counter-cultural sanctuary where ethical values can take root before scholars face the pressures of Ghana’s status quo.
The foundation operates as what Amoabeng frames as a rescue mission, deliberately selecting promising youth and equipping them with values before sending them into a system that threatens to compromise their principles. The gamble is whether enough will survive with their ethics intact to reshape Ghana’s narrative.
