From selling shirts to owning Oil & Gas Company, the story of Ethel Laurel Akafful

In an era where a lot of graduates depend on public institutions for employment after school, only a few will harness their entrepreneurial skills and take risks.

27-year-old Ethel Laurel Akafful is one of the few young graduates who have taken their future into their hands.

She is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Laurel Gas Resources, a company that focuses on clean energy distribution.

The company promotes the broad and safer use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Ghana.

Laurel Gas Resources focuses on remedying three major anomalies in the Energy sector: Safety, Accessibility and Convenience. The venture eliminates problems that come with the purchase of LPG by the general public.

“Most people handle the heavy cylinders in manners that make the entire process very dangerous, we buy the gas on your behalf and we transport it conveniently and safely,” she said in an interview with Businessworldghana.

“The company also offers free advice on what to do when faults are detected, check the position of clients’ cylinders, regulators, valves, and the like just to make sure that the process is extremely safe and efficient.” She added

Recounting how she developed the passion for oil and gas products, Ethel said, her love for engineering began as a little girl.

The MSc in Petroleum Geoscience graduate said, growing up as a little girl with her mom, a petty trader and her father a farmer and a small-scale miner in Abomosu in the Eastern Region, she always assisted her father to mine

“When it rained heavily, we would go to the gullies and pick pieces of gold and put them in a mercury container. After some time, we got bigger sizes and sold to my dad,” said Akafful.

Since she was born at Abomosu in the Eastern Region of Ghana with her mom working as a petty trader and her dad, a farmer who also dealt in gold and diamond.

When it rained heavily, we would go to the gullies and pick pieces of gold and put them in a mercury container. After some time, we got bigger sizes and sold to my dad, so when it was time for university, I chose only engineering courses, I just wanted to be an engineer. I thought that if I do engineering, I could work as someone who mines gold but I was offered earth science “said Akafful.

Commenting on her entrepreneurial journey, Ethel said, she started off by selling wristwatches and T-shirts.