I have made a lot of money – Afro-Arab boss

The CEO of Afro-Arab Group, Alhaji Amadu Salamu, has revealed the fulfilment he gets from educational investments after “making a lot of money”.

For an average Ghanaian, acquiring sustainable levels of income is not an easy task but Alhaji Salamu has cracked the code to unleash wealth.

The 33-year-old entrepreneur has defied the odds to succeed in business despite his lack of tertiary education.

He, however, does not want others to follow in a similar path in dropping on the academic ladder, hence his advocacy on education, training, skills enhancement and preparations of young people for industry.

 

“Though I am a Senior High School graduate, this little education I had, Alhamdulillah, God willing gave birth to the Afro-Arab Group 13 years ago when I was only 20 years old,” he said.

“I have made a lot of money” but “I have decided to invest the money in my young ones”.

Recounting how he started his business, he said his elder brother was into currency exchange on the black market, but after SHS, he was provided with a small office in Nima, a suburb of Accra.

Afro-Arab has six subsidiaries in miro finance, real estate, travel and tour haulage, sports, agriculture, travel and tour.

In his estimation, a lot of people need help “from where I come from” because access and financing of education is a challenge.

Alhaji Salamu was part of a panel of business captains at an event organized by the African Business Centre for Developing Education (ABCDE).

The programme brought stakeholders together to explore support from the private sector for education in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education and training assistance

For him, providing support to others is a duty, and he believes many people, especially from Zongo communities, see him as a role model, hence his educational initiatives to for youth development.

He revealed interventions in supporting a coronavirus programme implemented by the Accra Girls Senior High School at Maamobi.

Facemasks and hand sanitisers to schools as final years returned to write their exit exams.

He has provided internship opportunities to about 100 students, young professionals in Ghana, Burkina Faso, and including working with 23 Kent State students from the United States on an international storytelling programme in partnership with the Webster University.

Overall, the centre provides co-working-office space to 10 organization/startups and has assisted 12 students to acquire a full scholarship to study abroad.

The activities at the opportunity centre have a cumulative impact of reaching out directly to over 5000 people since its inception.

Alhaji Salamu said his establishment provided over 1, 000 books to schools when his firm marked its 10th anniversary.

Additionally, they funded 1,000 branded books to the National Chief Imam when he turned 100 years.

In 2017, Afro-Arab Group funded the establishment of the Yaasalam Opportunity Center as its corporate social responsibility arm to provide humanitarian support, promote education, youth empowerment, capacity building, entrepreneurship development as well build the capacity of the informal population, petty traders within the Zongo communities in literacy and business.

He holds the belief that “education without decent employment is meaningless”.

In view of that, he has spearheaded job creation programmes for over 200 youth through various projects.

The businessman’s tentacles in agriculture spread to camel farming which he said has earned him the title, ‘Owner of Camel’, conferred by the National Chief Imam, Sheik Osmanu Nuru Sharubutu.

He says he is concern about the spread of  COVID-19 in Ghana because of the low education in Zongos and inner cities.

His firm donated PPEs, over 1000 sanitizers and Alhaji Salamun said he personally moves around to “educate my people because some of them do not believe that the Coronavirus is real”.

He said many young people hold the view that once they have not witnessed anyone close to them contracting the disease, it meant “Coronavirus is just a story with not truths”.

Affording housing project

For him, “housing is a human right” everyone needs a decent home so their next objective is affordable housing for Ghanaians.

He revealed that the Afro-Arab has secured a 63-acre land at Prampram valued at $5 million.

He pointed out that affordable housing should have processes that make it easy for ordinary citizens to acquire but the mortgage system in Ghana does not favour average earners.

He hopes to introduce a housing microfinance where “any layman will be able to get a house” using his microfinance and real estate subsidiaries as vehicles.