'Reinvention is my thing' - Frank Adabre

Some are born carpenters, some doctors, some artists, some engineers, others technocrats and what have you – and these categories of professions affect our everyday lives in one way or the other. Whatever it is, it takes an undying urge for success to be able to drive an ambition to let it see the light of day.

The world has taken a paradigm shift – environmental determinism, reinvention and discovery are the axis on which the world revolves, while innovation remains on the cutting edge. Only the daring, young at heart and those who will stop at nothing to reach their goal, will own the world.

For over 12 years, Frank Adabre Akasoba, CEO of Northlite Ltd., has been providing renewable energy through the fabrication and installation of solar energy panels to people and companies who need it. Frank Adabre says this is his passion; to reinvent and be able to do what others find impossible.

“We are born with different instincts. I like to solve difficult tasks that people rather run away from. About 13 years ago, I was running a regular business and as part of that, I decided to support a community that was primitive and poor, which is where I come from. At the time of my BECE, my colleagues from different parts of the region, prior to our final exams, had lights and computers and so could pass the exam but we on the other side had no lanterns whatsoever, yet we were meant to write the same exam, and that is where and how my passion started,” Frank recounted the reason for his choice of path.

“After school, I went around communities in my area to look for solar lamps for students to learn with. About 240 children gathered around one lantern to read, at least, it was an improvement on the former. I did this for 300 communities and I got friends who eventually believed in it, and it fuelled my drive. It worked”, Frank said.

After seven years of official operation, Northlite Ltd., a wholly Ghanaian-owned solar company, has migrated from off grid, which is a typical rural solar development concept into urban large scale projects by partnering third party companies with similar visions in the area of financing, technology and innovation, to create projects that work for customers. Northlite, over the period has worked for banks, the Government of Ghana, NGOs and CBOs, and now has undertaken a solar panel installation project for Stanbic Bank.

Commenting on his great appetite for success, Mr. Adabre said: “My niche is, and has always been developing technologies and concepts four years ahead of today and that is why and how we are here today. I dream better when I am awake. I am a big risk taker. I have a passion to add value to what already exists and to change the game and take the lead – by taking the lead, you take the risk. It is about a person with a deep entrepreneurial mindset to take risk where no one else wants to take risk. If you play on the same field with everyone else, then you are just like anybody else. I have decided that I will take a risks in life and if I am taking a risk, it had better be big because if I fail, I fail big and if I break forth, I break forth big. However, it is not proper to take a blind risk. You need to calculate your steps and be sure that you have everything in place before you move.”

Frank’s new solar installation project won eight huge partners who took the risk to come on board. It took over two years, to have the deal finally signed. His partners were patient because they were convinced about Frank’s vision.

“I try to make sense out of my ideas and where it doesn’t make sense, I give it another shot. I have burnt my fingers a lot but in burning my fingers I learn to get a lot better. It is not about who you know because if you toe the ‘who you know’ path, you fail from the start. Build relationships with the ideas you have. Throughout my journey, I have learnt so much – from reading and interpreting legal documents and what have you, given the projects I have had to work on. For me, it is not the income that matters, it is about demonstrating to Ghana and other players in the industry that everything is possible. It is difficult, it is tough but it is exciting because it is my passion,” Frank said.

It takes one step at a time and success is ours. If you care about making an impact in your society and the world, make your passion count and just do your thing like Frank did.