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Dr Richard Kofi Asiedu is an accomplished man
Dr Richard Kofi Asiedu is an accomplished man

Transforming lives in rural communities; Dr Richard Kofi Asiedu shows the way

This has been the life of Dr Richard Kofi Asiedu, a man who has spent millions in putting up educational edifices to train, build and nurture the potentials of the young generation in the rural areas of the country.

Dr Asiedu has spent his entire life giving children in deprived communities access to quality education.

Raised by a single mother, the 47-year-old businessman has since 2007 helped provide second cycle education and training to more than 30,000 young people in six rural communities where he has established senior high schools (SHSs).

 

St Andrews SHS is a grade ‘A’ private school

His school, St Andrews SHS, a grade ‘A’ private SHS with five branches at Assin Foso, Mankessim, Dunkwa-On-Offin, New Edubiase and Sefwi Asawinso, emerged the best school in Ghana in the 2020 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The school had the highest pass rate with an overall score of 98.80 per cent.

These students are now receiving tertiary education in notable universities in and outside Ghana. A number of his students are from Nigeria, Cameroon, Liberia, Morocco, Togo, Cote d'ivoire, The Gambia, United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA).

Impacting lives
In an interview with The Mirror recently, Dr Asiedu said although he was excited about the student’s high pass rates, his greatest satisfaction was to see the lives of young people in the rural areas changed.

“You have no idea how it feels to walk on the street and see many children going to school and others giving a place to build a future,” he said.

 

Dr Asiedu spends a lot of time with his students

The school has a student population of 6,000 with staff strength of more than 600. He has given employment to many people in the hinterland, most of them between the ages of 20 and 35.

Dr Asiedu has also established the Rich Media School, a multimedia institute, and a College of Healthcare, both at Assin Fosu in the Central Region where they trains children interested in building careers in the health and media sectors.
where he trains children interested in building careers in the health and media sectors.

Uneasy childhood experiences
Narrating his childhood experiences, Dr Asiedu said it was tough for him while growing up with a single mother who did not have the resources to provide for first-class experiences for him.

“My mother was working as a secretary but had to resign to take care of my sick grandmother. That meant that I had to support the house by joining my mother to sell foodstuffs.

“I was selling bread, nuts, cassava and anything possible to assist my mother. It was those days I became a good salesman because my next school fees was dependent on my ability to sell more,” Dr Asiedu said with a smile.

 

Dr Asiedu with former President John Dramani Mahama during the school’s 15th anniversary.

According to him, the idea of establishing private schools in rural communities was conceived during his early school days when his mother enrolled him in one.

“I look back today and realise that the decision was one of the best my mother made for me. This is because none of my school mates at the elementary school is successful today but all my friends in the preparatory schools are extremely successful,” Dr Aseidu said.

For him, the above experience made him realise the gap that existed between public and private schools. It was then that Dr Asiedu developed the passion for rural education.

He devotes his time and resources to help parents in the rural areas who do not have enough money to sponsor their children in better educational institutions in the urban areas.

“The rural areas became my obsession and since then I have never regretted my decision nor do I have any intention to move to urban areas," he told The Mirror.

He grew up in Agona Kwanyako in the Agona East District of the Central Region where he nurtured his ambition to help the poor and needy in the hinterland.

Family life
Dr Asiedu is married to Dr Regina Asiedu, a Senior Immigration Officer, and they have four children. He said he would not trade his family for anything.

“The successes in my life are as a result of two things — God and my family. Apart from God, my wife is my destiny helper, for without her, there will be no Dr Asiedu today,” he observed.

Dr Asiedu said there was a time when he almost gave up because of series of depressing setbacks in the early stages of operating his schools but his wife stood behind him and stopped him from shutting down the school.

He recalled that in his bid to help the rural communities, he faced lots of problems with the indigenes, but that never stopped him from the good things he was doing.

“You cannot give up because someone is against the good you want to do. David did not allow his own brother to stop him from fighting Goliath. I already told myself I would spend my life helping the rural people,” he added.

Turning points
Dr Asiedu recounted a number of events that lifted him and paved way for a breakthrough for his school and passion to assist the deprived areas.

“In 2017, St Andrews Schools recorded a huge pass rate in the WASSCE and since then every year, our score goes a little higher. When this happened, the world got to hear about us and it opened doors for many in the urban areas to come to the rural areas where the schools are located," he said.

 

He trains children interested in building careers in the health and media sectors

Another turning point was when he met his mentor, Lord Amos. Dr Asiedu said the man guided him throughout his tough days when his school was almost shutdown due to challenges.

“Lord Amos stood behind me, guided me through the dark days and never made me feel left alone," he said.

Dr Asiedu said: “The four most important things in life to help you succeed are – God, health, family and a dedicated friend.”

He said a man’s philosophy in life would decide every single success he would attain.

For him, it was honesty and reputation, noting that honesty was missing in the life of many people who never attained meaningful success.

“There is no success without a good name. It doesn’t matter how much you have amassed in life, if your name brings pain to people's life instead of joy, you failed miserably,” he said.

He said his philosophy in life is “Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free” (Ephesians 6:8).

Asked what he would do differently if he had the chance to start life again, Dr Asiedu said he would choose to build shelter homes for the deprived.

“This does not mean I have regretted my decision to spend my time in education field but I have always wanted to do more for the poor. Even though I have sponsored and financed many projects to help the poor, I feel more is needed," he said.

Awards and recognition
Dr Asiedu has received several local and international awards.

He has travelled to more than 40 countries for presentations on seminars and programmes and has researched extensively in the area of business and finance.

 

In public life, he has risen through the public sector professional ladder, from a humble beginning as a Municipal Youth Director under the Ministry of Youth and Sports where he worked mostly after his university education.

He rose from Assistant Director to Deputy Director to a full director status as a public servant before officially resigning from the public service in 2017.

He was the first Council Chairman for Foso College of Education (FOSCO) when the colleges of education were transformed into tertiary institutions between 2013 and 2017.

 

  Dr Asiedu with Gertrude Asiedu, one of his children

Dr Asiedu started his education at Kwanyako SDA Preparatory School and moved to Swedru Secondary School (SWESCO) in the Central Region for his Ordinary Level certificate (O levels) and then to Nkroful Secondary School in the Western Region for the Advance Level Certificate (A levels).

He later went to Takoradi Polytechnic to obtain a Higher National Diploma (HND) Purchasing and Supply Management after which he went to the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) for his BSc Business Administration and later the University of Cape Coast (UCC) for his Master of Arts (MA) in Human Resource Development, and finally Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Human Resource Management from the Atlantic International University (AIU) in the USA.

Dr Asiedu is also an inducted member of the West Africa Nobles Forum.

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