Dr K.K Sarpong: The untold story.

On Friday, 24th November, 2017 the Chairman of the Council and Registrar of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST signed a citation awarding the Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, DR. K.K Sarpong, a Doctor of Letters degree.

The remarkably colorfully event attracted many who on the day, were told about only the academic side of the man whose many other sides, including charity and humanitarian, are somewhat untold.

The doctorate, I know, Dr. Sarpong, appreciates and “idolizes” to the core. The citation that came with the degree conferred on him was too touchy to forget, even after just a glance.

Before I share the other sides of this charitable man, whose philanthropic story remains surprisingly untold, let me share with you the dictates and tenets of the citation.

“You are an astute business executive with impeccable corporate credentials. You have served in diverse capacities in the topmost echelons of authority in a number of high profile companies and corporations and have played crucial roles that have yielded far reaching results and impacted on the lives of many.

Among others, as Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery, as Chairman of the Board of Royal Bank Limited and currently as Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, you have spearheaded crucial initiatives and interventions and played such tremendous roles that have contributed immensely to education of Ghanaian women in the science and technical programmes through the funding of scholarships and other initiatives.

Currently, under your leadership, GNPC is propelling the vision of KNUST to encourage a lot more women to take up, science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, STEM programmes by offering full educational scholarships to a considerable number of female students annually under the STEM.

You also led TOR to institute a Chair for Chemical Engineering at the college of Engineering to promote graduate training and research in Petrochemical Engineering. In addition, you facilitated the establishment of the three year fifty thousand dollar ($50,000) annual awards scheme for staff and students of the college of Humanities and Social Sciences by The Royal Bank Limited.

At TOR, GNPC and in fact all the establishments you have ever worked you have paved the way for KNUST students to gain practical experience by your policy of taking on large number of these students for internship, vacation attachments and National Service.

Your passion for education transcends KNUST to the nation as a whole. You are currently working with Vice Chancellors of public universities to establish GNPC Chairs in four (4) public universities.

You played a key role in initiating discussions with partners in the petroleum industry to rehabilitate and resource Senior High School science laboratories to quicken the transformation of basic science education.

Sometimes we are confused whether you are a Technocrat or Legonite. Whatever the case may be, we enjoy the overwhelming support you provide in the Alumni Association of KNUST.

In recognition of all these and others, for your invaluable support to the improvement and expansion of education in Ghana particularly women’s education, science education and graduates training in Petrochemical Engineering; for your generous support to the KNUST alumni, and for all the inestimable contribution you continue to make to national development, the Council of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and technology takes pleasure in awarding, you the degree of DOCTOR OF LETTERS, Honories Causae”.

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Sarpong expressed profound appreciation for the honor done him.

Am sure many expected to hear a rather long and winding academic address from him, but he did the unexpected. Just the opposite. But that was to showcase his real side. Charity and philanthropy. Service to humanity.

He chose to speak to humanity. He decided to summarize the award in love to the world. Support to the needy.

I have since sought to find out, that humanitarian and philanthropic but hidden side of the man many have grown to cherish for his remarkable contributions to society.

Physically Challenged Action Foundation.

Founded in 1988 at Maase in Offinso in the Ashanti Region, the Physically Challenged Action Foundation has enjoyed tremendous and reliable support from the magnanimity of Dr Sarpong.

On Sunday, I engaged the Founder of the Foundation, Barima Yaw Antwi on the fortunes of the home vis-à-vis the enormous but silent contribution of Dr. Sarpong.

“Dr Sarpong is a blessing to this institution. He is God-sent”, Barima Antwi says with confidence, even before he opens up to me for a chat.

He tells me a chilly story of how with a burning desire to support the youth in the area back in 1972, he set up a football team called, Arch Angeles Football Club which participated in the then National Division Two league.

“In 1977 the team got involved in an accident. One player died and I got severely hurt on my right hand. That hand was later to be amputated” He recounts.

“I still remember the accident at Anyinasu on the Sekyere Dumase road. The Bedford bus crushed that bad”. He adds.

“11 years after the accident and with my right hand amputated, I thought about how to mobilize, and support people with disabilities, haven become disabled myself. And that’s how this dream came about” Barima Antwi recounts.

“Fast forward, some years after the establishment of this institution, and with extreme difficulty to manage it because the numbers had increased considerable, the Queen mother of Offinso, Nana Ama Serwaa Nyarko, one day drove in here with Dr K.K Sarpong. The rest of the story is what you see here today.

“Dr. Sarpong that very day, donated some substantial amount of money to the home and pledged his unflinching support to us. He has since kept his promise to us religiously by even doing more”. He says.

Barima Antwi tells me Dr Sarpong, through some institutions such as TOR, GNPC and The Royal Bank where he has served in leadership roles over the years, and also through friends, has taken over almost every day to day cost of running of the facility.

“I tell you, if this man had not appeared here, this facility would have closed down by now” He adds.

“This man pays all the utility bills of the home every month, pays for the feeding of all the students, takes care of all operational bills”. Barima Antwi says.

“That’s not all, he pays for the operations of any inmate, pays for the cost of artificial limbs and clutches for students whose limbs are amputated after operations, as well as give full scholarships to all students from the home at the SHS level” He reveals.

According to Barima Antwi, Dr K.K Sarpong pays for the entertainment and graduation ceremonies every year.

“Every Christmas, he pays for the entertainment, food and drinks and also fully pay for the graduation of students every other year”, He adds.

“When students graduate from here after undertaking a two year course in shoe making and leather works, sewing and tailoring as well as hairdressing, he makes sure they are catered for by helping provide working tolls, machines, accessories and seed capital of Gh500 per head” Barima Antwi said.

“I vividly remember when he chose to celebrate his 60th birthday with the home. He and his family as well as friends thronged here and blessed the day by providing food, drinks, donated 200 chairs, a huge flat screen television set, a canon photocopier, a printer, two mowing machines, cash donation and also pledged to build an administration block for us”. He says.

“Above all these donations, what touched me and the students was how he humbly ate, danced and interacted with us. That will never be erased from our memories”. He recounts with nostalgia.

Barima Antwi took me to the administration block which is at the lintel level. “After his pledge, he has since invested over Gh150, 000 into this administration block. He points to it.

“This magnificent administration block will cost us about Gh300, 000 and Dr. Sarpong with support from friends and other institutions are financing this project”. He says.

Pointing to another monumental edifice, Barima Antwi said, “Look at the building over there. Come along let’s take a tour. I want to show you around”. “Dr Sarpong has invested over Gh330, 000 in this demonstration school block” He said.

“This building, when completed will house pupils from class one to JHS three before the students are posted to the Senior High School upon completion”, Barima Antwi tells me.

“This school block is disability friendly. We owe it to the charitable spirit of this noble man and his friends and the institutions has been able to influence to come to our aid. Now you understand why I said this facility will be closed down by now if we had not met Dr. Sarpong? He questions with pride.

“That’s not all. We used to have only 50 liters of water, but look at this mechanized water tankers. Dr. Sarpong provided them and today we are sufficient with 200 liters a day. Plus, through The Royal Bank Foundation, he dug a borehole for us as well.” This is the man who has been a blessing to this facility.

“I don’t know how to describe Dr. Sarpong to anyone. He is a gift to mankind, hope to the needy, the deprived and to the disabled. He has a huge charitable heart. I have encountered philanthropists, but all are summarized in this man”. Barima Antwi adds emotionally.

Education:

Dr KK Sarpong’s contribution towards education is overwhelming.

Over the years he has committed to investing in education, especially female education in the areas of science and mathematics.

This explains why the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) conferred an honorary Doctorate of Letters on him for his contribution towards the award of full scholarships to students in the areas of Science and Mathematics at the university over the years.

The University indicated that the award was also in recognition, generally for Dr. Sarpong’s frantic efforts at promoting science, engineering, technology and mathematics education, particularly, for females in KNUST in particular, and the nation in general.

His support towards education, it must be noted, includes the facilitation of the establishment of professorial chairs, provision of grants and facilities, scholarships for students and faculty, and also granting access to students to undertake internships in various organizations he has worked with over the years.

Dr K. K Sarpong Science Laboratory at Kumasi Girls Senior High School. Following his enormous support and contribution towards the school, the Kumasi Girls Senior High School has named its science block after Dr. K.K Sarpong. His name is boldly embossed on the frontage of the school’s Science laboratory with pride.

The Headmistress of the schools, Margaret McDavies Asamoah, told me, “Dr. K.K Sarpong is simply a mentor to the school”.

“He is a gentle man. When I took over, I was told about what a good man with a good heart for this school, he has been. Especially in the area of science”. She said.

“Am told he loves to see girls undertake science. His avowed promise and affection for supporting this school explains why the authorities have named the school’s science laboratory after him” She explained.

“So yes, take a look and you will see his name boldly and proudly embossed on the science Lab”. Madam McDavies Asamoah said.

The Head of the Science Department, Mr. Peter Addo gladly welcomed me to his office at the science block.

He recounts portions of Dr Sarpong’s keynote address at the schools speech and prize giving day which address, he says among other things motivated the school to name the science laboratory after him with pride.

“On the day, Dr. Sarpong, called for the school to be turned into the first female science college in Ghana so it becomes a science model school for girls in this country”. Mr. Addo told me.

“Dr. Sarpong’s call was very key because this school is pivoted around science. About eight hundred students offer science” He says.

“The school is proud to name the lab after him. I can tell you that we have never regretted for naming the lab after him”. The Head of Department added.

Dr Sarpong has also promised to offer scholarships to science students in the school.

63 University Graduates.

Dr. K.K Sarpong has single handedly sponsored 63 graduates.

They cut across the educational spheres including, economics, science, law, engineering, humanities etc.

He takes pride in this achievement.

“I had a hard time climbing the educational ladder”. He says.

“I have therefore taken it upon myself to help as many people as possible to go through education without difficulty. It’s my passion and I can’t stop seeing people go through education”. Dr Sarpong says.

“It gets difficult at times, because many of the time the demands come unexpectedly. When there are no resources to meet those huge educational demands, but I try to do the best to see those demands met. The greatest joy for me, is to see people take education and so, I squeeze water out of stone to ensure I help where and whenever I can”. Dr. Sarpong adds.

“Many of the 63 graduates I have produced are not from my family. They don’t actually have to. Once, I have the means I do it with great joy”. He says. In order to keep this dream going, Dr Sarpong is mapping up pragmatic plans to establish an Educational Foundation.

“It’s my dream that, I will set up an educational foundation, pool resources into it so that as the demands get bigger, I will be able to help many students who need support to undertake graduate education”. He hoped.

He has over the years, with support from the various institutions he has worked with and individuals provided scholarships, built school blocks, libraries, helped raise funds, instituted remedial classes among others in many schools including, St Monica’s’ Senior High School, Holy Child Senior High School, Nsutaman Senior High School and Kumasi Girls Senior High School, just to name but a few.

Dr Sarpong is the Chairman of the Board of Nsutaman Senior High School, Member of the board of the University of Ghana Business School of Administration and Sekondi College.

Theology

Dr. K.K Sarpong holds a Master of Arts (MA) in Ministry from the Trinity Theological Seminary (Legon).

It’s interesting why after achieving a lot in education, he offered to do theology.

“I think everything about this world is Love. Love is the bottom-line of the word of God”. He says.

“My destiny on earth, I think is to do good, and so I wanted to understand the word of God concerning charity because charity is from the bible. To be able to do charity to serve mankind I needed to understand the word of God”. Dr Sarpong argues.

The conviction is that, with my position and influence of society, I need to understand the word of God, have a very good ground to influence people in their decision making.

“Am convinced also that with the bible being the bedrock, I can help impact society by being able to influence politicians in their decisions and delivery.” Dr. Sarpong explains.

“Theology has shaped my thinking and I have no regrets offering that course. In fact it means a lot to me”, He says with pride.

Sports.

In 2010, Dr Sarpong was appointed the Executive Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko Sporting Club Limited by the Owner Life Patron of the biggest football club in Ghana, the King of Ashanti, Otumfour Osei Tutu II.

In between 2010 and 2013, during which period he led the club, it won 2 Premier League titles, 2 Champion of Champions titles, and 2 FA Cup Runners-Up positions.

Dr. Sarpong established co-operation with Sunderland SC (UK), TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Petro Luanda (Angola).

He remarkably secured 13 sponsorship agreements; and commenced infrastructure projects for the club unparalleled in the history of the club formed on the 31st August, 1935.