Business magnate, Sir Sam Jonah has advised African youth to disabuse the notion that success requires ideal conditions.
Receiving the 2025 EMY Africa Ultimate Man of the Year Award on Saturday, November 22, he urged young Africans to abandon the wait for perfect systems, perfect funding, or perfect timing.
Greatness, he insisted, is forged in discipline and courage—not comfort.
Reflecting on his rise from transforming Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (AGC) to serving on major global boards, Sir Sam Jonah distilled the lesson: “To the young people listening tonight, let me say this plainly: don’t wait for perfect conditions. Greatness is rarely born in comfort.”
His message cuts through long-held excuses in a region where young entrepreneurs grapple with high interest rates, unstable power supply, and little access to capital. Yet, he argued, the real engine of success remains resilience and initiative.
“If my journey has taught me anything at all, it is that excellence is not an episode. Excellence is a habit. Excellence is a discipline. It is a standard we must insist upon daily, even when no one is watching,” he said.
But action, he warned, must be paired with integrity. In an era clouded by digital noise and moral uncertainty, he urged young people to guard their dreams and lead honourably.
“If you have an idea, start. If you have a dream, protect it, and if you want to lead, lead first with integrity. For in a world overflowing with noise, it is character that speaks the loudest,” he advised.
Sir Sam Jonah also placed responsibility on today’s leaders, saying true leadership lies in creating opportunities for the youth:
“Creating pathways so that the next generation can run faster, soar higher, and dream bigger than we could ever do,” he urged.
He closed with gratitude, acknowledging the mentors, colleagues and hardworking Ghanaians who powered his journey:
“I am the beneficiary of mentors who expanded my ambition, colleagues who matched my commitment and ordinary, hard-working Ghanaians whose toil forms the bedrock of every enterprise I’ve been privileged to lead.”
