Salma Okonkwo, the woman who gives energy to Africa

Stories like that of Salma Okonkwo they give a nice boost, a light of hope, from the “Yes, it’s possible” series. Visionary, philanthropist, she managed to climb mountains of prejudices: not only because she was a woman, but also because she was black, because she was African, because she was an idealist. Yet, day after day, she has overcome all those barriers and, after being the first female CEO of Sahara Energy and having built her own energy company (UBI Energy with over 150 million dollars in annual turnover), today she is intent on building the largest solar park in West Africa.

Born in Accra, Ghana, Salma grew up in a large family. But it is she who tells us how she left and where she wants to go.

What does it mean today to be born and raised in Africa? Could you tell us about yourself and your family? What was his departure?
“Growing up in Ghana is not unlike growing up in many other places, amidst a thousand family chores and adolescent expectations. In this specific case, I found myself with many brothers: we were 14 children. I always say that it was in that period that I learned my professional ability, to manage people, to enforce fundamental moral and ethical principles. It was necessary to juggle the complex relationships with my brothers and with my parents. My mother was a real estate agent and my father was a cattle dealer. My father was an example of humility and kindness to me and my mother, who was a typical hardworking woman of the Aka clan, not only ran the house, but was a pioneer in her profession. She is now retired, but continues to be the hardest working woman I have ever met. Laziness and failure were never an option for my family: we were all called to contribute. Then, as happens to many kids, I started dreaming of going on trips abroad. Some of my brothers had gone to Los Angeles and so I went there and enrolled at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. If I look back, I see how enriching that period was, how constitutive it was of the person I am today. Even though I missed Ghanaian community life, I was able to navigate and thrive in more individualistic nature of the Western world “.

How much did having traveled and known other realities affect the achievement of its success?
“I think traveling, wherever you go, is always a good idea. It broadens your mental horizon, your knowledge and offers you different perspectives. We live in a global world, so it is imperative to have a global perspective on the issues affecting your business activities ”.

You have been working for years in the field of energy resources: what has changed lately? Where are we going?
“Fossil fuel is not a sustainable resource and the world today has understood this and we are gradually switching to more environmentally friendly energy sources around us. We are working hard, but we will need the support of political leaders from all over the world: we need an overall discourse, which brings together companies and the academic world, to focus on the problems and possible ways to face them. The non-profit organization Carbon Brief stressed that Africa, like other continents, still relies too much on coal-fired power plants, which is absurd for a country like ours that is lucky enough to have the light of a beautiful sun all around. the year. I believe that it is advantageous for us to invest in this country of ours, for the economy of course, but also to reduce pollution and help mitigate that climate change that risks bringing us to our knees. We must aim for a greener future ».

We know that you are engaged in philanthropic projects: what do you do? What is the project you dedicate the most time and passion to?
“Yes, I have always been careful to ensure that I could contribute to the well-being of others, I believe it is an inheritance given to me by my father. My foundation, Mother’s Heart was born with the intention of helping the many children in need. At the beginning it was an orphanage that housed about fifty children, then it has become a larger and more composite reality: the intent today is to ensure that every 5 years it is possible to remove 2000 people from poverty. And to do this, we offer education, mentoring and apprenticeships. Let’s try to explain good money management, supporting business programs ».

Can you tell us about this new solar park? How should we imagine it and when will it be ready?
“In the meantime, what we hope is that the project will create direct and indirect employment. Directly because we need a lot of support for the installation and construction of the photovoltaic park. Indirectly because the energy produced will allow businesses to be efficient and produce the services they offer seamlessly with reliable electricity. The idea is to create this large solar park within a year and a half: we hope to obtain the necessary funding. We have found some funding shortages and we hope to obtain the necessary financing to complete in the next 18 months ».

What does it mean to be a young black woman in business? What kind of prejudices do we have yet to face?
“I have to be honest: I believe that the prejudice women face in business is not specific to black women, but to women all over the world, no matter what color their skin is. We are asked a lot of questions about how we believe we manage work and family and, to be considered, we always have to show more than our male colleagues. It is a striking fact, so much so that most of the venture capitalist’s money goes to companies run by men and women receive just over 2%. Let’s say that in Africa, due to the general lack of funds, the problem gets even worse. I see it for what concerns me: it does not matter that I have a business valued at over 500 million dollars in hand, it does not matter that I started with 3 employees and that today there are 260: every time I ask for funding I am told that my business would be more interesting if I could collaborate with a blue chip or a western company or with someone with “experience”. So I can say it with good reason: the barriers to access to capital for women continue to be a big problem “.