As a Ghanaian American, Tony Kwame Ansah (38) has always felt close to the country his parents emigrated from. That’s why he founded Ansah Africa, a platform that connects US donors to NGOs in Ghana.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself?

A. I was born in Providence, Rhode Island. I got a Bachelor’s degree in General Studies from the University of Idaho and a Master’s in Public Administration from Kaplan University. I have also studied at the University of Ghana (Legon) as an undergrad student.

Q. How did Ansah Africa come about?

A. It started in the summer of 2017 as a Pan-African business directory for entrepreneurs and organizations to promote their products and services online to fellow Africans at home and abroad. As time went by, the venture became an online fund-raising platform, connecting donors in the United States to non-profits in Ghana. This was born out of a fund-raising campaign Ansah Africa sponsored in 2017 for a group of 10 problem-solving NGOs from across Africa in need of global funds.

Q. What is your objective?

A. Ansah Africa acknowledges the need to bridge the gap between non-profits in Ghana, particularly those that lack access to local and global funding, and donors in the US. Without funding, these organizations can’t continue solving the problems they are solving.

Q. What has been the highlight since you started Ansah Africa?

A. Honestly, the highlight has been our launch. This phase took eight months, and we almost didn’t see the light of day because of issues related to our payment gateway. This function needs to be as safe, secure and efficient as possible for donors. Luckily, we found a solution.

Q. What has been a key lesson learned, one you didn’t expect when you started Ansah Africa?

A. In the beginning, I was very eager to get things started. However, I learned to seek advice, help, and opinions from other entrepreneurs to shape and mould my venture. I also learned to be patient to build and managing Ansah Africa.  

Q. What are your 3 key tips for aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs?

A. Be passionate about entrepreneurship and use that passion to build your business plan and model, have a sense of purpose and use your business to do something significant.

Q. Who are your African entrepreneurial role models?

A. Harnet Bokrezion. She inspires me because she is coaching the African Diaspora on how to do business in Africa, and she is doing a great job at it.

Q. Why would you recommend others to join Afrinection?

A. I recommend that others join this Afrinection because of the great opportunity to network and share information with fellow entrepreneurs, start-up founders, and business owners.