Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. – Anonymous

He is the General Manager of AngloGold Ashanti, a proud family man and a gentleman at heart. This week on Naya’s column, we are extremely honored to host Mr Eric Asubonteng.

He started, “telling you a bit about myself, I am not quite sure where you want me start but I guess going back to where I hail from would be quite appropriate. I was born and raised in a small town near the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi but had my education in the western Region of Ghana where I also worked at a point in my life. I later had my university education in the Greater Accra Region where I am currently located; so I guess it would be fair to say that Kumasi to me only served as a place of birth.”

The forty-one (41) year old gentleman, who is an accountant by profession, is happily married to young lady whom he described at ‘beautiful’ and together; they have four (4) adorable children. He lost his father at the age of three (3) and his mother was left to cater for six (6) children, comprising of five boys and a girl. He moved to Accra with an uncle where he had his early education at the John Teye Memorial institute, which happened to be one of the best schools in Ghana at that time. He had his senior secondary education at the St. Johns secondary school at Sekondi-Takoradi and later had his first degree (BSA Administration) at the University of Ghana. He is an extreme educationist who does not believe in choosing careers for children but rather allow them to discover their own path to pursue their passion.
After offering a professional Accounting course (ACCA) in the UK, Young Eric was eager to get onto the career ladder quickly and if possible, elevate himself to the highest position of his chosen career in the shortest possible time because he felt he had spent so many years schooling. Surrounded by a lot of choices in the banking sector and other incredible auditing firms, Eric who obviously was career oriented decided to try something new and totally different and break himself from the routine of regular graduates seeking ‘white- collar jobs’; hence the desire to go into the mining sector. Mining as we know poses a great level of threat to the human life and has resulted in quite a number of people losing their lives. Young Eric in knowledge of all the mining hazards was still enthused and very fascinated about “getting his hands dirty on the field.”

AngloGold Ashanti is one of the leading mining companies in Ghana; it has a very strong reputation, a unique history and has been in existence for about one hundred and twenty (120) years. Formerly Ashanti gold fields, the company gained its new name (AngloGold Ashanti) in 2004 after it was merged with a South African company called AngloGold. Certain strong personalities in the likes of Sir Sam Jonah, commanded great exploits in the company after transforming it into an internationally recognized brand to the extent that it got listed on London’s stock exchange and since then it has been on the front line of Ghana’s mining sector.

Mr Eric Asubonteng joined AngloGold Ashanti in 2013 as the head of finance after working with Gold fields for ten (10) years; he later moved up the ladder in 2016 to become the General Manager of this reputable firm.

When asked what he would change if given the opportunity to go back into the past he answered, “I wouldn’t change a thing in my past because I believe that all my shortcomings, mistakes and imperfections worked in hand to make the person I am today.”

To listen to the full and detailed interview with Mr. Eric Asubonteng click on the audio below.

By: Nana Yaa Asabea// email: nayascolumn@gmail.com// instagram: @naya_233.