Valentina Mintah, a force to reckon with
In 2012, Valentina Mintah started West Blue Consulting in a hotel room in Abuja. Barely three years later she’d delivered on two national projects.
First, the development of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report, a component of the Nigeria Single Window System and the Nigeria Trade Hub, launched in 2013.
The introduction of these solutions marked a key milestone in the modernisation drive of Nigeria Customs Service. They helped plug revenue holes, sped up the customs clearing process with savings both to the federal government (USD25 million a month by some accounts) and importers.
Success in Nigeria led to recommendations to the government of Ghana, according to Mintah, by Dutch Customs. Mintah’s West Blue then became technical partner for developing Ghana’s National Single Window System.
By connecting agencies involved with clearing of customs onto one platform amongst other features, it shortened processing times from about 2 weeks to 2 days for importers.
Single window project
According to a 2017 University of Ghana Business School study, the platform saved the government of Ghana USD500 million in its first two years alone. Ghana’s rankings in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report 2016 also improved by 13 places.
The World Bank report credits Ghana’s performance to the success of Ghana’s National Single Window project.
When Mintah flew into Abuja, Nigeria from London in 2012, Nigeria was all over the international news over repeated terrorist attacks: Boko Haram had just struck again, killing 180 people. With kidnappings, sometimes of expats, security was of grave concern. According to Mintah, “UK foreign travel advice warned against travel to Nigeria”.
But she went in anyway, preferring to make up her own mind after sizing up the situation for herself. It was after all, not her first time away alone and in an unfamiliar place. As a trade facilitation expert for Crown Agents - UK, she had advised several governments, often living alone for months in her country of posting. She was used to this sort of life. “I’m a nomad, wherever I can find a pillow and a duvet, I lay my head. I’ve been alone in Mongolia, China, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan etc”
But the story is only half told if delivered as though she had everything handed to her. Mintah’s success came at great personal discomfort to her and her family.
Though she was often placed in spaces that would have made others uncomfortable, she never flinched. Her projects were buffeted by strong winds of powerful individuals, vested interests, misinformed media and anxious trade associations who thought her work would threaten their livelihoods.
That her late father, Squadron Leader Sowu, was a big wig in the ruling government only fuelled sustained campaigns that portrayed her as someone who could not have merited the projects she worked on. She responded quietly with her work, delivering on her projects, with results to shame her detractors.
West Blue though is only part of her story. Mintah has often re-invented herself by pursing her passions and interests.
HomeAway
She transitioned from retail banking role at Halifax to IT at IBM, then left the corporate world to start HomeAway, a chain of out-of-school facilities in Surrey, when she couldn’t find one, she was happy with for her two sons.
She would later sell HomeAway to start in Bristol, Mad Science, a Canadian franchise offering science in a visual and interactive manner designed to spark kid’s imaginative curiosity.
This love for children’s education remains today in her work on e-Ananse, a library project which currently with three branches in Accra.
Mintah gets a good helping of her toughness and inspiration from her mother Augustina Gockah. Strong and independent, Gockah rose through the ranks to become director of education at Ghana Education Service. She would regularly make the 620-kilometre journey from Accra to Tamale, driving alone, on roads some of which were barely motorable to inspect schools under her ambit. Not typical of a woman in Ghana’s 1970’s and 80’s.
No wonder Mintah was often seen climbing trees and playing football with her brothers and boys in the neighbourhood. And by age 13, she had learnt how to drive and would often be seen driving a beat-up bright orange Datsun 140J in the middle-class neighbourhood of Accra’s Roman Ridge where she grew up.
ICC Board
Last Wednesday, Mintah made history, becoming the first black woman to be elected, in its 101-year history, to the Executive Board of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). ICC, headquartered in Paris, is the largest most representative business organisation in the world, representing 45 million companies in over 100 countries.
The Executive Board, which includes MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga elected alongside Mintah, is responsible for developing and implementing ICC’s strategy, policy and programme of action, and for overseeing its financial affairs.
It’s no mean feat by any standard. But Mintah has no time for self-congratulations. Her focus is on how she might use this position to further develop bilateral and multilateral business opportunities and leverage the potential of small and medium enterprises (who form the bulk, not only for the ICC membership but, of African businesses).
In her usual gentle manner, she tells me “History is for history books. The work must go on”.