Managing Director of Brainhill International School, Mary Anane Awuku, has recounted a difficult childhood marked by financial hardship, street hawking and self-funded education, describing how those early struggles shaped her into the entrepreneur and educationist she is today.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (10 February), Awuku said her path to leadership was anything but smooth.
“It’s been rough, it’s been tough, but we thank God for how far he has brought us,” she said. “Right from childhood, we had to find ways around life. My father was the only breadwinner, so we all had to support.”
Growing up in a family of eight, Awuku said she learnt early that survival depended on initiative. By age nine, she was already selling items to support the household.
That hustle continued through her education.
After junior high school, when her father retired and the family income dwindled, she refused to stay home despite being advised to wait until money was available.
“I challenged myself that I wouldn’t give up,” she said. “I went out there to find support to pay my fees.”
Support from her church helped her through senior high school, but at the University of Ghana she resorted to selling used clothes door-to-door to finance her studies.
“I was moving from friends to friends, selling. That was how I survived,” she recalled.
She also took on student leadership roles, including becoming Miss Legon, which opened doors to networks and opportunities that helped reduce accommodation costs and secure part-time work.
According to Awuku, those experiences toughened her and built the resilience that defines her leadership today.
“It taught me not to sit and wait for somebody to do it for you,” she said. “You learn customer service, you learn to communicate, you learn how to sell yourself.”
Now a mother of four and head of multiple businesses, Awuku says humility, faith and integrity have been central to her journey.
“People help you go far based on your attitude,” she said. “Leadership is service, not entitlement.”
Through her Yes She Can Foundation, she now mentors women and girls, encouraging them to pursue independence and purpose rather than rely solely on marriage or external support.
“Sometimes women feel they are not enough without a man. But we are all equal. We must find our own purpose,” she said.
Her message to young people, she added, is simple: “Don’t give up. Speak out. Ask for help. You never know where hope will come from.”
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