In June 2011, I almost died in a car accident.

In that moment, many strands of my life came together in a new way that changed the trajectory of my work. Up until that point, my career had included work with Deloitte, Sight Savers International, and the Australian High Commission in Ghana. I had worked hard in school, attending Presec Legon, Prempeh College, and the University of Ghana for my first and second degrees. Alongside all of this, I had also been involved in volunteerism and helping shape young leaders for over 15 years through a group called ‘Chosen Generation’ that my friend Kojo had founded in 1996.

The car accident was an invitation to re-examine my priorities: What was my mission? How did I want to be of service to the world? I remembered how incredible it felt to support hundreds of young people between the ages of 12 and 22 through Chosen Generation. And I remembered how, growing up in Mim, a beautiful and very multi-racial small town in Ghana near a forest, I had a sense of deep connection with other cultures and with the natural world. Finally, I remembered a small moment in my father’s office that I now realize held the seeds of the direction my life would take. The day after my fifth birthday, my father took me to the company where he worked as an electrical engineer. He let me sit in the huge swivel chair in his office and I swung around and around, never wanting the feeling to stop. I imagined that one day, I, like my father, would be a leader inspiring others from a chair just like this! That image was with me when, shortly after the accident, I left my position with the Australian High Commission in 2011 and, with the support of my wife, founded the Osei-Kusi Foundation (OKF) to bring hope and love to the destitute in society. In 2019, following an impact assessment of the work of the Osei-Kusi Foundation, we decided to narrow its focus to providing educational scholarships for physically-challenged youth. The following year, the Pan-African leadership Institute (PALI) was birthed out of the Osei-Kusi Foundation with the mission of developing holistic, entrepreneurial, and conscientious leaders for Africa and beyond. My work in philanthropy and leadership development brings me enormous joy and fulfilment and, today, I live with a sense of deep gratitude. Seeing many young people go through school through our scholarship program at OKF, and more recently, helping to convene, coach and mentor senior leaders through PALI feels like the culmination of so many parts of my life journey. All these would not be possible, and I would probably not be alive but for Jesus Christ whom I first encountered at the age of 13 years while studying at Prempeh College. There I gave my life to Him in prayer, and I have continued to trust Him whole-heartedly and developed faith, positivity, and an effort to imitate His servant leadership approach to life. It is a deep privilege to have committed the rest of my life, to serve my nation, the African continent, and the world through leadership development programs and genuine service to humanity.