He said he decided to share his experience because there were not many inspiring successful business stories being told to encourage and motivate others to do what they believed in.

“Very often what is projected are Africans who have been successful in entertainment and sports which is good.

But it is important to also share the stories of Black people who have been able to build thriving successful companies to inspire the youth across the continent and beyond”.

Mr Okyere was speaking at an award ceremony recently in the United States of America, where he was honoured with two prestigious awards.

The first, Entrepreneurship Award, also known as the Impact to Business Award, was conferred on him by Face2 Face Africa, a New York-based Pan-African and technology company.

Before then he had also been presented with the 2019 RIG AWARD (Man of the Year- Oil and Gas) at the Exclusive Men of the Year Africa Awards three weeks earlier in Accra, for contributing towards the development of the upstream sector in Africa and Ghana.

He received a shield, a trophy and citations on both occasions.

The Face2Face awards event is a prestigious celebration of Pan-African achievement established to recognise icons and heroes who have made significant contributions towards the progress, development and transformation of the Pan-African community.

Citation

A citation accompanying the award said Mr Okyere’s extraordinary achievements and impact as a business leader had inspired a generation both in Africa and around the globe, adding that he had demonstrated through his exemplary career that vision, commitment and dedication triumphed over all.

At the EMY Africa Awards, Mr Okyere said Springfield’s primary aim in business was to make sure that it invested back into communities because it believed that businesses could operate successfully only in thriving and progressing communities.

He invited other business leaders, particularly those in the extractive sector, to formulate policies that would ensure the investment of a fair share of their returns in communities to enhance the living standards of the true owners of the natural resources.

On both occasions, he thanked the organisers for recognising what he and his team were doing to improve the living conditions of Ghanaians and people on the continent generally.