The Supersonic Rise of Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO, Vodafone Ghana

A clearer career path, no doubt. But, never in Patricia Obo-Nai’s wildest imagination did she think of becoming the Chief Executive Officer of a British multinational telecommunications company.

As a young Ghanaian girl, there was no love lost between Patricia and subjects related to arts and basic sciences including Biology. Patricia shied away from any subjects that involved a lot of writing. Much reason Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Statistics were her choice subjects.

After her O-Level and A-Level education at the St Roses Senior High (Akwatia) and the Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School respectively, it was time for Patricia to choose her course of study at the University.

Factoring in her core subjects and the fact that her late father was a Civil Engineer, the natural choice would have been Civil Engineering. Interestingly, a friend warned her that the course involved a lot of reading and that she would have to deal with one of her most dreaded subjects – Biology.

Luckily for Patricia, unlike many young African girls, her mom gave her the freedom to make her own choice about the matter. She quickly opted for Electrical Engineering in her University entrance form, as the course requirements rest on the key subjects she was very comfortable with.

At this time, Electrical Engineering was a male-dominated field. Patricia went on with her study at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana in 1995.

As it turned out, Patricia made the right decision to have played to her strength. She did so well in her area of study that she became the President of the Electrical Engineering Students Association. What came with the position was a responsibility to combine her studies with a leadership function. Little did she know it was preparing her for the journey ahead…

Continue to read Patricia’s story in the latest issue of Business Elites Africa magazine here: Find it on pages 56 & 57.