Dominic O. Agyepong is a good friend of mine who in conjunction with other friends of his are establishing themselves as passionate Ghanaians in Alexandria Virginia with the sole objective of serving the Ghanaian and African community in the USA's District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) and world wide. Dominic however prefers to be call by his Facebook name which is Kwame Ahenkorah Osei-Agyepong alias Sir Gaul.
I have known Sir Gaul for about 3 years and I'm constantly amazed by his selflessness and efforts at positively projecting the Ghanaian and African community in the DMV metro areas of the USA. I personally feel he, along with other Ghanaians like himself are doing a great job and deserve commendation.
Kwame Ahenkorah Osei-Agyepong till 2010 used to be the host of 'The Barber Shop' program on which I have been a panelist a few times. I personally think 'The Barber Shop', a show on Akwaaba Radio is one of the coolest Ghanaian radio programs in the DMV area. Sir Gaul also used to be a panelist on the 'Weekly Chapters' program of Akwaaba which highlights Ghana's premier soccer league. He also played a vital role in my getting to meet and know Linda Essuman, a fellow Ghanaian who is a Manager at a CVS/Pharmacy in Northern Virginia's city of Alexandria.
Mr. Osei-Agyepong is an Engineer and also manages a local soccer team called the Sunday Stars in Northern Virginia. Oh let me not forget, Kwame is a soccer fanatic whose fanatics is highly exhibited through the mini tourneys he organizes. His love for soccer is also exposed through his bias for the Ghanaian Soccer team, Accra Hearts of Oak which undoubtedly earned him the nick name Phobia in soccer circles here in the USA.
Aside of soccer, which by the way is called football in Ghana even though for some God-blessed reason some Americans think of something totally different when they talk about football. Don't get me wrong my fellow American peeps, I love your football even though I can't wrap my mind around it… the whole craziness and extreme physicality of it as well as the involvement of a players hands in touching the ball irks me a bit. It's a fun game so yep, I totally love American football. However in Ghana, football sees no hands touching the ball unless you're effecting a throw-in or you're a goalkeeper… unless you're the Uruguayan soccer player by the name Suarez.
Ok so I needed to vent, back to talking about Sir Gaul, who by the way is highly inspired by Barak Obama for his ability to overcome all odds to become the first Black President of the USA. 'I admire his stamina and his ability to be on top of all issues' says Kwame of the American President. I also spoke with some Ghanaians who have become American citizens and some of them told me they Obama but however think he's trying too hard to win a second term by putting on hold most of the things that he should and could accomplish under his first tenure as the first black President of the USA.
Dr. Paa Kwasi Nduom is also another politician that greatly inspires my friend Kwame. Dr. Ndoum is a famous Ghanaian politician who Kwame Ahenkorah got the opportunity of meeting face-to-face sometime in mid-2011. Kwame tells me he is fascinated by the way Dr. Ndoum handles his political, financial and personal life. I felt enlightened to hear my friend speak in this manner about people who inspire him so I went a notch higher to ask him if there's someone else here in Virginia that is an inspiration to him. Francis Ayenu popularly know as Rob of Rob Definitions was one more name that came up for Kwame.
Rob is an events planner in the DMV area that Kwame Ahenkorah has worked with on several events and is one of the people who triggered that entrepreneurial spirit in Kwame Ahenkorah Osei-Agyepong. Rob once referred to Kwame as an “office boy”, implying that all Kwame ever did was to go work for somebody but never considered working for himself. After hearing that, Sir Gaul started thinking of ways to turn his spare time and everyday leisure activity into money making ventures.
That being said people, don't be fooled into thinking Sir Gaul has no leisurely activity because I personally know him to love playing golf, yet he terribly hates the lack of professionalism on the part of most people involved in business and will not breathe easy around square pegs in round holes coupled nor people with total disregard and respect for time and punctuality: 'these greatly limit progress in life and business; just like the non availability of seasoned professionals in the performance of a task does'. Kwame Ahenkorah Osei-Agyepong says. Kwame believes business owners must appreciate the power of advertisement and its impact on their businesses because what you put in is what you get out.
Did I forget to mention the fact that Kwame loves the Ace Ghanaian musician; Kojo Antwi? Knowing Sir Gaul's flair on the radio, I asked him if he had professionally studied for his job on radio, but his response was this: 'not really, though it seems to run in the family since I have three sister and a brother currently involved in radio and television work in Ghana and the USA'. Mind you reader, I'm one of those siblings, ok so maybe am not a blood sibling but Kwame has and will continue to be dear to my heart, we've come a long way and I think the future for him is going to be so bright I'll probably need to buy him a pair of sun glasses for Christmas.
Kwame believes his motivation for getting involved in radio was as a result of experiences he'd had during an attempt to relocate to Ghana as he realized that though most Ghanaians have travelled and lived outside both the country and the continent, the attitude back home towards certain things especially in the world of business was still backward, this attitudes cannot be changed without a form of media which will serve as a bridge for constant communication between Ghanaians living abroad and those back home.
Sir Gaul is a man of many hats since he has a regular Monday to Friday job as a Civil Engineer and is also involved in a non-profit organization called NGOZI which collaborates with event promoters to organize events and raise funds for Africans living outside the continent who find themselves in some form of distress. NGOZI is mainly responsible for organizing the annual 'Baffour Soccer Charity Tournament' in Northern Virginia.
My good friend tells me he feels he's only beginning his career and all that he's done till date is merely a preparation for the real deal. Kwame is not sure of what form his carer is going to evolve into in the future, be it politics or business, yet he sees himself getting heavily involved in the affairs of Ghana in the near future. Kwame believes God in His infinite wisdom created him as a Ghanaian for a purpose. He as an individual therefore has this constant leap in his heart to help transform Ghana and he will not rest until that mission is accomplished.
Kwame Ahenkorah Osei-Agyepong is married to Dr. Akosua A. Agyepong and they have a seven year old daughter; Adjoa Osei Agyepong pictured above with him and a son; Kwame Ahenkorah Osei-Agyepong II who is just a year old. Sir Gaul is an old student of Mfantsipim High School in Ghana where he studied from 1988 to 1995 and the Kwame Nrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi Ghana, where he obtained his Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering in 2001. Sir Gaul finally studied for his masters in Civil Engineering at the University of Maryland from 2004 to 2008.
One of Kwame's favorite saying is: "in whatever you find yourself doing, do it right and do it well because you may never know who is watching you”. The saying 'Akwaaba' by the way is a very common Ghanaian salutation so next time you're visiting Ghana, remember to smile when you're welcomed with the salutation AKWAABA!
Oral Ofori, +1202-706-9881, oralofori@gmail.com, Freelance Writer ( www.oralofori.blogspot.com), Wikimedia Ghana Enthusiast, Broadcaster, Retail Specialist, Music Promoter, Artiste. http://about.me/oralofori/
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