How a young Ghanaian man defied all odds to sell kenkey, waakye, other foods in Johannesburg - SA

The capabilities of a man is what a man can do when he puts his mind to it.

This was evident in the life of Ghanaian entrepreneur, Richard Akwasi Mireku who now owns one of the biggest restaurants in Centurion, Johannesburg (Joburg) in South Africa.

Richard left Ghana to seek greener pastures in South Africa 9 years ago.

When he arrived in Joburg on December 9, 2013, he first ventured into hairstyling to get some money to fend for himself while away from home but could not succeed because he was inexperienced.

While trying to still figure out what he could do to prevail, he remembered he could cook based on the experience he had at his mother's restaurant in Ghana.

He then ventured into the cooking of food [fried rice] after receiving 600 Rand from a pastor friend - Prophet Yorke, as capital to start this new business.

Richard Akwasi Mireku narrated that he used to carry the cooked food [fried rice] around - from one street to another, something which was rare in Johannesburg.

He recounted how his food got slimy and wasted such that he had to throw everything out one time, after no one bought it because it seemed the customers were fed up eating the same food over and over again.

Mr Mireku decided to start a kenkey business in Joburg; the first of its kind.

Though he had no idea how to prepare kenkey, he watched some videos on Youtube to guide him and his business peaked after taking that bold decision.

He added Ghanaian local dishes such as waakye, banku, among others to his food business.

"I used to sell pure water in Accra, Circle, Kantamanto….I’ve sold so many things. I was making it myself but since my mother told me to travel, that was when my mind tuned to travelling," the entrepreneur told GhanaWeb's Ernestina Serwaa Asante.

"I arrived in South Africa on December 9, 2013…Prophet Yorke gave me 600 Rand so I’ll cook and package them in a takeaway bowl like how they used to sell it in circle and put it in a cooler box and carry it around for about a year," he said.

Richard Mireku said, "There was a time I went out with fried rice, they were fed up with it, nobody bought it…I’m from Tuobodom in the Brong Ahafo region, we don’t do kenkey but I went on youtube to learn how to do kenkey. So the next day, I carried the kenkey around and it was sold out and it started booming."

Richard Mireku owns Alpha Catering Services, one of the biggest restaurants in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He has employed over 20 people including Ghanaians at his restaurant and is looking forward to expanding his business in other cities in South Africa.



ESA/WA