Growing up, Estelle Akofio-Sowah never allowed her self to be hindered by challenges. She faced as having anything to do with the fact that she was a girl. She simply accepted them as a fact of live that everyone has to deal with, regardless their sex. Estelle made it a point to ensure she excelled in everything she set her mind to, even if it meant having to put in an extra effort than everyone else was. "I was an active member of all the elite student associations in addition to being an athlete and was elected as a Prefect in school."

Estelle affirms the that the idea we've all grown up to strongly believe that "It's a man's world" is slowly becoming a questionable concept to continue living by and it's about time we as women stopped subscribing to this ideology and using it as an excuse for not fully developing our potential. "I believe both men and women are given equal opportunities for great achievements in most cases and it is up to us to gather the confidence needed to go out there and prove that we are equally capable. I know the world is sometimes a slightly an unfair place and there are still some conventions in our society that put women in disadvantaged positions. I however try not focus on that but rather on the advantages I have to make a difference."

Estelle, who is now the Managing Director of BusyInternet - one of Africa's largest cyber centers, located in Accra - began her journey in the corporate world with the Professional Network Association (Pronet), a local British NGO which partners with WaterAid in the implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene promotion projects in Ghana. She also worked as a coordinator for the National Poverty Reduction Program which was aimed at providing local communities skills and incentives they needed to improve their quality of live such as, providing training and accommodation for teachers, and some health related projects.

She was born in Scotland to a Ghanaian father, Christopher Nii Nai Akofio-Sowah and Scottish a mother, Labrada Akofio-Sowah. They moved to Ghana when she was about six (6) months old where she grew up in Osu, Accra and attended Ghana International School (GIS). She left Ghana for the UK after her O'levels to continue her education at Sussex University where she majored in Economics and Development Studies.

Asked what her prospects are for the future, Ms. Akofio-Sowah says, "I always had political aspirations when I was a young girl. I would sometimes joke about being the minister of communication some day. I however decided after a careful evaluation of my goals to stick with the private sector where I believe I will be more successful at achieving them. I also believe I would be able to make even more of an impact on our economy this way without actually getting involved in "Politics"."

The 31 year old executive is married to Jonathan Nii Annan Tawiah and has a two year old son, Sean Nii-Adjetey Nai Tawiah. On the issue of how she combines her family life with her career she said, "It's not very easy as you can imagine, as it turns out, both my husband and I are very career oriented but luckily we have a good family network that helps us with our little boy. I also try to make sure my weekends are very much devoted to my son. He knows that Saturdays are "Mummy and Sean's day" and even if I have to go by the office for any reason, he comes along."

Estelle believes in personal professional development through life long learning. "I aspire to remain open minded as I continue to grow and always look out for opportunities that come my way and to make sure I use them to the best of my ability. I think we are always presented with the opportunity to learn something new in our day to day activities - from people we meet and from experiences that we have at work. Life is always sendings us news lessons and just when you think you are on top of it all, you are presented with something new. Her advice for her fellow "Mbaahema" is to look deep inside for the talents they have been endowed with and to persevere in everything they do. "It may not always be easy to reach your goals, but you'll never know until you've given it your best shot. I never knew I would one day be the managing of one of the largest technology firms in West Africa."

BusyInternet Web Site

By Naa Dei Dsane