Ato Sarpong shares story of being abandoned by father before birth, losing mother at age 2

Unlike Jesus Christ whose birth and mission on earth were predestinated, his journey to greatness was unpredicted. Rising from a family lingering in poverty in rural Ghana to attain his current feat comes as a great surprise.

His mother kicked the bucket when he was about two-years-old and barely has any fond memories of her. For his father, he abandoned his mother before he was birthed.

This is the modest beginning of Mr. Edward Ato Sarpong, the highly-respected business magnate, and venerable politician.

An orphan like a beggar, he had no choice but little Ato Sarpong was pregnant with dreams. He managed to navigate through life rising through the ranks from a village accountant to become a Deputy Communications Minister.

He summarizes his journey to success as premised on determination, a bit of ambition, and knowing what you want

At age fifteen, Ato Sarpong discovered the environment he found himself in could hinder the manifestation of his dream, therefore, he had to migrate to the capital city to uncover diverse opportunities and work his way to the top.

Through a friend who lent him some money for transportation Ato journeyed from the Adisadel village in Cape Coast to Accra.

Moving to the crowded city where he knew no one from Adam; where his next meal would come from and a place he’d rest his carcass during the night was a matter of deliberation. But that was the least of his worries.

Speaking at his 52nd birthday celebration, the Managing Director of the Ignite Media Group, Mr. Edward Ato Sarpong, said despite coming from a family with such poor background, his life has been a beautiful journey moving from one beautiful chapter to another.

“Fifty-two years ago, I was born to a mother that I only lived with for only two years. To a man that I have never seen, so, I don’t know my father. I have never met him before. I don’t know where he is; whether he’s dead or alive. Or who is he? Maybe I have met him in town and I didn’t know but I have never met my father before. I lived only two years with my mother,” Ato Sarpong recalls.

At Accra, he would be one of the less privileged children to get admission into the Snaps College of Accountancy and since then he has never looked back.

Born on March 29, 1969, Ato Sarpong is a venerable business leader with over two decades of cross-functional experience in telecommunications, broadcasting, finance, and general management under his belt.

He served as the Deputy Minister for Communications of the Republic of Ghana [between July 2014 and January 2017]. Ato Sarpong provided strong leadership support to the sector Minister in implementing policies and programmes that enhanced the telecommunications, broadcasting, and media sectors of the economy.

He was a founding staff and Senior Auditor at Ernst & Young Ghana (formerly Fiadjoe & Associates) and was involved in Business Planning and Audit of several multinational companies including Goldfields Ghana, Golden Rule Resources Limited, Geomechanik, and Construction Pioneers.

Ato Sarpong was also very instrumental in corporate re-engineering of other organizations including British Airways, Greenview Limited, and Cape-Coast Quarry. He led the team that carried out major reconciliation of various accounts at Ghana Commercial Bank in preparation of the bank’s Initial Public Offer [IPO when it sought to get listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange [GSE].

He played a major role in shaping the direction of internet service provision in Ghana and West Africa.

He was the Chief Operating Officer at K-Net Limited between 2009 and 2011. Prior to that, he was the Regional Managing Director of Africa Online responsible for the group’s strategy and expansion initiatives in West Africa between 2008 and 2009. Before his elevation as Regional Managing Director of Africa Online, he was the Managing Director for Africa Online Ghana. He was also a member of the Group’s Executive Committee on Finance.

He is into private consultancy specializing in helping businesses in telecommunications, broadcasting, and Information and Communication Technology restructure for growth, long-term viability, and ultimate business success. He is the Co-founder and Lead Consultant at Edge Capital Partners.

Ato has been instrumental in shaping a number of businesses, including TV3 [where he served as a Business Consultant and Director of Commercial and Operations]. He also worked as a Business Consultant to the Multimedia Group Limited between 2012 and 2014, where he helped shape internal structures, guided strategic initiatives, and led the company’s international expansion into Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Out of his passion for developing people, Ato finds time to develop Business and Leadership curriculums and serves as a Business and Leadership Trainer and Coach on Personal Development and Growth.

He is the author of two books – “Living Beyond Today” and “Appetite for Wealth”.

Ato Sarpong sits on the Boards of many organizations and is a partner at NatEdwards & Associates. He was a two-term President of the Ghana Internet Service Providers Associations (GISPA) during the most turbulent times of the Internet revolution in Ghana. He led the Association’s negotiations with Government and Vodafone on internet pricing that significantly brought international fiber prices down by 67%.

He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana [ICAG] and an alumnus of the University of Professional Studies [UPSA], where he studied for his Professional Accountancy certifications. Ato also attended the University of Ghana Business School [UGBS], where he studied for an Executive Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship. He is an alumnus of the Manchester Business School Leadership Development Programme and holds an Executive Certificate in Leadership.

Currently, Ato Sarpong is the Managing Director of both the Ignite Media Group and Media TV – owners of Original 91.9FM, Metro TV, and Original TV.