Alhaji Asoma Abu Banda was a renowned entrepreneur, business magnate, philanthropist, role model and patriot.
He was born in June 1933 at Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana and was destined to create employment and economic empowerment for many people worldwide.
After his elementary education at Kintampo and Kumasi Government Boys, he went on to receive an Ordinary and Advanced Level certificate as well as a diploma in Marketing/ Sales Management in London.
He later undertook several courses in marketing, management and shipping to help him understand better and excel in the line of the profession he had chosen for himself.
Born into a family with a strong business orientation, Alhaji Asoma Abu Banda naturally got initiated into the family business.
At a tender age, he worked with his father in the road transport business and showed early signs of hard work and entrepreneurship.
Between 1955 and 1957, he was assigned the arduous job of buying cattle from Mail, Niger and Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and transporting them on foot to Kumasi, a job which he executed with diligence and devotion.
Determined to broaden his horizon and acquire the requisite entrepreneurial competencies, Alhaji Asoma Abu Banda travelled to London in 1960 to further his education.
He later entered the service of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) of London as a Director in charge of Africa and the Middle East.
Alhaji Banda ventured into private business in 1975 with partners and established a shipping company in London, OT Africa line, and Antrak Group of Companies (London and Ghana).
Due to his able leadership and business acumen, more than 146 branches of his companies have been opened in countries across the world, creating jobs for over 500,000 people globally.
He became the Chairman of Antrak Air, a hundred percent Ghanaian–owned company and the first of its kind in the history of the aviation industry in the country.
Alhaji Banda showed tremendous commitment and support towards the socio-economic development of the country.
He was very instrumental in making the Antrak Group of companies (Ghana) finance the reconstruction, refurbishment and maintenance of the maternity wing of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in 1999 at a cost of nearly one billion Cedis.
In collaboration with his foreign partners, he invested ten million US Dollars (about 70 billion Cedis ) in the establishment of the Tema Container Terminal, resulting in the creation of about 100 jobs.
Alhaji also demonstrated his support for the maintenance of security, peace and tranquility in the country by establishing the Crime Prevention Foundation to help resource the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies. In addition, he has also constructed a female Cell for Nima Police Station in Accra.
Alhaji Banda employed over 3,000 people annually. As a staunch and devout Muslim, Alhaji Banda constructed a Mosque at the Airport Residential Area at a total cost of over one million US Dollars.
Alhaji Banda, in recognition of his numerous contributions to the socio-economic growth of this country, received many awards from not only the Ghanaian government but also from other organizations in many countries, notable among which are:
He was the first African to own a ship and the first Ghanaian to own an aircraft
He was conferred with the Companion of the Order of Volta by the State, honoured for lifetime achievement by the Ghana Shippers Council in recognition of his great strides in the maritime industry.
His Shipping company won the Best Shipping Line of the World twice (1999/2000)
Alhaji Asoma Abu Banda serves on a number of Boards, including the following: the Council of State, Ghana Port and Harbours Authority, and Ghana Maritime Authority, among others.
With the help of some members, he established the People’s Convention Party (PCP).
Alhaji Banda single-handedly spearheaded the formation of the Great Alliance, which merged with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) during the 1996 election, which had former president Kuffour and Ackaah as flagbearer and running mates respectively.
He was the Chairman of the PCP, which later became the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) after he had gone to court on behalf of the party to have the name changed.
He served as a Board member of Ghana Airways and a Board member of Cal Bank Ltd. He was also the Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba.
Reports have noted that the businessman has passed away.
The news of his passing was announced by Dele Momodu, a Nigerian publisher believed to have close ties to the family of the late Alhaji Banda.
He expressed his condolences, adding that he had reached out to the widow of the deceased business tycoon to offer his sympathies.
SSD/EK
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